Accommodations
by willgirl
Summary: The sequel to Four Years. Booth and Brennan struggle with Brennans' new place in her daughter's life.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So. Clearly I am diseased. Or insane. It's the only reason for me to be starting yet ANOTHER fic. This will be the third one I have on the go, the other two being: Rarely Pure and Never Simple and Scarred Hearts Never Break, which I am co-writing with Hart. **

**So here it is, finally! The sequel to Four Years. Thanks to Pyro for stalking me until I posted this and Bandbi for coming up with the title. I suck at titles, just ask Hart. Hope you enjoy!**

He jerked awake, feeling a sharp stab in his back. He rolled over and found her thrashing, her arms and legs flailing everywhere.

"Temperance." He said, trying to shake her. "Temperance."

She continued to toss and turn, her face glistening with sweat and tears. Her mouth was turned down into a frown and incoherent words tumbled from her lips as she continued to fight off her invisible attackers.

"Temperance." He tried again to no avail. He knew about the panic attacks but he didn't know about this, how she came face to face with her kidnapping in the night. His heart pounded out of his chest and he shook her again and tried to wake her. A feeling of helplessness washed over him.

"Please." He pleaded. "Please." He gathered her into his arms, ignoring the kicks and punches she made to his body. Holding her and rocking her, he begged for her to wake up.

"No, No." he heard her mumble into his chest. "Please no."

Suddenly she shot up, screaming.

"Temperance!" he said, sitting up and pulling her into his arms. She turned to look at him, her red rimmed eyes swirling with confusion.

"It's me, Seeley." He said, cupping her cheeks with his hands. "It's me."

A tear rolled down her cheek and she nodded in comprehension. He pulled her to him and she let out sob after sob, her hot tears running down his chest. She was shaking furiously and found himself getting angry at the thought of her having to deal with this all by herself.

"It's okay." He said, rubbing her back slowly. "It's okay." Her tears subsided but she was still shaking, her hands firmly clutched onto him as if she would never let him go.

He heard crying again and realized it wasn't coming from Temperance. Immediately, he let go of her and jumped out of bed and out the door. Standing in the hallway was Chris, looking very frightened, tears on her face.

"What's wrong, Princess?" he said, scooping her up.

"Someone was yelling." Chris sniffled. "It scared me."

"Oh." He said, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down. "Tempe was just having a bad dream. Let's go into the kitchen and get some milk okay?"

Chris nodded and with a furtive glance towards the bedroom, he headed off to the kitchen. He put Chris down and grabbed some milk out of the fridge.

"Can I have it warm, Daddy?" she asked.

"Of course." He replied. He grabbed a cup and put it into the microwave for a few seconds. Warm milk always made Chris go back to sleep. The microwave beeped and he turned around to give her the milk when he realized she wasn't there.

He heard low voices coming from the bedroom and moved towards it. Reaching the door, he opened it slightly and peeked in. Temperance was lying on her side, having already fixed the covers that had been thrown off the bed. Directly opposite her was Chris and they were staring at each other.

"This is Mr. Franks." Chris said softly to Brennan. "He's my favouritist dog in the world. Do you want to hug him?"

Brennan nodded slightly and Chris held out the small dog for her to hug. She took the dog and pressed it close to her chest, her gaze never faltering from the small girl in front of her.

"Mr. Franks helps me when I get scared." Chris chattered on. "But Daddy gives the best hugs. Does Daddy hug you?"

She nodded again and couldn't stop a tear from falling.

"Don't cry Dr. Tempe. Daddy will come and make it all better." Chris said assuredly. "He's making warm milk to help me fall asleep. He will make you some too."

She reached out and stroked her daughter's cheek, causing Chris to let out a yawn and snuggle deeper into the covers.

"Thanks for playing tea party with me, Dr. Tempe." Chris said sleepily.

"Anytime." She whispered back, watching Chris slowly close her eyes and succumb to sleep. It was only then that she noticed the figure in the doorway.

"Hey." She said softly.

"Hey." He replied, moving towards the bed. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Thank you." She said.

"I didn't know it was like that." He stammered. "Why didn't you.."

"Please." She interrupted. "Can we talk about this later?"

He nodded and pulling back the covers, slipped into bed facing her, their daughter in between.

He reached over and brushed a hair out of her face, his hand then tracing her forehead, her eyes, down the bridge of her nose and finally her lips as if he wanted to remind her with his touch that she was his.

"I love you Temperance. You know that right?" he said quietly.

She nodded and he watched as her eyes slowly closed, finally succumbing to sleep. He pulled the covers up and closed his eyes. As he drifted off to sleep he heard her whisper, so soft he wasn't sure if it was real.

"Love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Finally! Days later, another chapter! Sorry about that, I have been so busy. So the song used in this is Aikendrum by Raffi, who in my opinion is the best children's singer in the world! (And he's Canadian!) I have sooo many people to thank its ridiculous, the response for the first chapter overwhelmed me! So thank you to all the people who reviewed the last chapter and I apologize for not being able to get back to you personally. Anyway I hope you enjoy!**

She woke to the smell of bacon frying and she smiled, knowing that Booth was in the kitchen cooking up something delicious for breakfast. Glancing over at the clock, she shot up and scrambled out of bed immediately. It was nine o'clock and she was late for work. Hastily grabbing her clothes, she ran into the bathroom and shut the door.

She was ready in five minutes and she grabbed her shoes and slipped them on as she ran out of the bedroom and straight into Booth.

"I'm late." She gasped, trying to manoeuver her way around him.

"It's okay. I called Angela and said you wouldn't be in." he replied.

"What?" she exclaimed. "I have work to do and…"

"Zach said he would take care of it." He replied. "You deserve a long weekend. Please." He placed a kiss on her forehead for good measure.

"Spend the whole weekend with you?" she asked, trying not to let her eyes betray the fear she felt in her heart.

"Why don't we just start with breakfast first okay?" he said, sensing her nervousness.

She nodded and followed him in to the kitchen where Chris was happily digging into a plate of pancakes.

"Hi Tempe!" Chris said, waving her syrup-covered fingers.

"Hi Chris." She replied, sitting down opposite her. She watched the little girl eat and tried to ignore the panic and fear swirling inside her. She didn't have the first idea how to take care of a child.

"Here you go." Booth said, placing a plate of pancakes in front of her.

She smiled gamely and picking up her fork and knife, she began to eat all the while watching Booth and Chris tell jokes and make silly faces at each other. She didn't think that something as small as breakfast would make her feel so left out.

"Right, Tempe?" Chris asked.

"Sorry what?" she replied.

"You're coming to the park with us, right Tempe?" Chris repeated.

"Sure." She said, her answer slipping out of her mouth before she even had time to process the question.

"Yeah!" Chris shouted, slipping down off her chair. "Come on Daddy!"

"Hold your horses there, sticky fingers." Booth replied. "Come here." He grabbed a cloth and quickly wiped her hands and face. "Go pick out an outfit, I'll be there in a sec."

She gave a shout and ran down the hall to her bedroom.

"Is this okay?" he asked, reaching over and squeezing her hand.

She nodded.

"Okay then." He replied. "Do you mind helping Chris while I take a shower?"

She froze. "Well….I…"

"It's okay. "It's not rocket science, she just sometimes needs help with her buttons." He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'll be ten minutes." He headed for the shower, leaving her alone in the kitchen.

She was feeling overwhelmed already and they were only going to the park. Pushing herself away from the table, she headed down the hall to Chris' room, noting the boxes in the hall that were yet to be unpacked. She opened Chris' door and stifled a laugh.

There was Chris, lying on the ground struggling to get some pants on.

"Need some help?" she asked, coming into the room. She noticed that only a few things were unpacked in the bedroom, mostly clothes and some toys.

"Yes Tempe." Chris replied.

She walked over and helped the little girl into her jeans, carefully doing up all of the buttons.

"What shirt are you wearing?" she asked.

"This one!" Chris said, holding it up. It was a pink, glittery t-shirt with the words FBI written across the front. As she helped Chris into the t-shirt, she couldn't stop staring at her. It was hard for her to imagine that she created this bouncy, giggly girl in front of her. Her and Booth together.

"Tempe, will you do my hair?" Chris asked.

"Sure." She replied tentatively, following Chris into the bathroom. She had no idea how to do anyone's hair and she panicked slightly at the basketful of bows and ribbons sitting on the sink. Watching Chris drag over her stool and stand on it, she reached for the hairbrush and started brushing her hair slowly.

"Can I have pigtails?" Chris asked.

She nodded and continued to brush her hair, gently working its way through the knots.

"Are you going to decorate your room soon?" she asked Chris.

"Nope." Chris replied, shaking her head. "I'm waiting."

"For what?" she asked, reaching over and grabbing a couple of elastics.

"For our house!" Chris said excitingly, jumping up and down and causing the hairbrush to fall out of her hands.

She reached down and picked it up. "House?" she asked.

"Daddy said we are going to live in a big house and I am going to have my own room and we'll have a backyard with swings!" Chris exclaimed.

Her heart pounded as she heard this. Was he waiting to ask her? Did she really want to do this?

Chris for her part was getting bored and was shifting back and forth on the stool.

"Tempeeeee…."

"Oh sorry." She replied, continuing to brush Chris' hair. She reached for the elastic and attempted to create a pigtail. After five minutes, it wasn't working and she was growing frustrated. She had a doctorate for god's sake! How could she not do this?

Finally she created two pretty, albeit a little crooked pigtails.

"Ribbons!" Chris said, snatching two pink ribbons from the basket. She tied a ribbon into a bow around each pigtail.

"Is that okay?" she asked, feeling nervous.

Chris nodded. "Thanks Tempe!"

"Are you two almost done in there?" Booth's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Yes Daddy!" Chris said, flinging the door open. "Let's go to the park now." She took off running to the front door.

"Cute pigtails Bones." He said, smiling at her.

"Thanks." She replied shyly.

Ten minutes later, they got everything they needed and after a brief stop at her apartment so she could change, they were at the park.

"Let's go on the swings Daddy!" Chris said, pulling him over.

"Sure." Booth replied.

She watched as he got her settled into the swing and starting pushing her.

"Come on." He said, gesturing to the empty swing beside Chris. "I will give you a push too!"

"Well…I… okay." She replied, sitting down on the swing. She had loved the swings when she was a little girl. She felt his hand on her back and he gave her a push, launching her into the air. Soon she was swinging along with Chris, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

"There was a man lived in the moon, in the moon, in the moon. There was a man lived in the moon and his name was Aikendrum!" Chris belted out, causing both adults to laugh.

"And his hair was made of spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti. His hair was

made of spaghetti and his name was Aikendrum." She continued, oblivious to Booth and Brennan's laughter.

"Sing Daddy and Tempe!" Chris said, pausing in her song.

Booth began to sing along. "And his eyes were made of meatballs, meatballs, meatballs. His eyes were made of meatballs and his name was Aikendrum."

As they finished the song, once again she got the distinct feeling of being left out. It wasn't Booths fault but she couldn't help but feel a little sad at all of the things she didn't know.

"Come on." Booth said. "Why don't you go play on the slide for a bit?"

"Okay." Chris said, scrambling out of the swing and over to the slides.

"You okay?" he asked, reaching for her hand.

She nodded. "I'm fine, why?"

"You just had a sad look on your face, that is all." He replied as they walked over to the slide area.

"It's nothing." She said, giving him a smile.

"Listen, Temperance…" he started. "Tomorrow I have an appointment with a realtor to look at a house." He paused, searching her face for a reaction. "I started looking before and I know it's a big thing but I promised Chris a swingset and…"

"I know, she told me." She interrupted. "Listen Booth, this is a big step, I'm not ready for this."

"I understand." He replied, squeezing her hand. "But maybe you could watch her while I'm there."

"By myself?" she said nervously. "I don't know…"

"You could call Angela." Booth suggested. "Go shopping or something. Chris is in need of some new clothes."

"Oh I see what you are doing." She replied with a smile. "You don't want to go shopping for her!"

"Caught me." He said, grinning back. "Shopping for a four year old girl is not my favourite pastime."

"Okay." She said. If she had Angela there, then she knew she would be fine.

He pulled her close and kissed her softly on the lips and they headed off to the slide to watch their daughter play.


	3. Chapter 3

"So you be good for Tempe and Angela okay?" Booth said, parking the car in front of Brennan's apartment.

"Okay Daddy!" Chris said, clutching her small, furry cat purse.

He got out of the car and made his way around to the other side, opening the door and unbuckling her from her seat.

Chris skipped up the steps, clearly excited about the forthcoming shopping trip with Brennan and Angela. Booth on the other hand was feeling fairly nervous. He wasn't really good with leaving her with strangers.

'Stop that.' He chided himself. 'She's her mother, not a stranger.'

They knocked on the door and barely had to wait before the door flung open.

"Hi." Brennan said, smiling nervously.

"Hi Tempe." Chris replied, running into the apartment.

"Hi." Booth said quietly as he walked in. He still didn't know where they stood with their relationship. Yes they were together, but it still seemed a little awkward. "Where's Angela?"

"She's on her way."

"Well I guess I should go. Here's her bag, it has everything she needs. Juice, snacks, some little games in case she gets bored. And Mr. Franks, she needs to take him everywhere and of course you have my cell and…" he cut himself off when he realized he was rambling.

"Uh, thanks." She replied, looking overwhelmed. "Booth, are you sure that…"

"Yes." He said, sounding more confidant than he was. "Bye Princess."

"Bye Daddy!" Chris said, running towards him and giving him a big hug.

And with that he was gone and mother and daughter stood staring at each other.

"So…" she said, coming to the realization that she had no idea what to talk to a four year old about.

"Daddy gave me monies to spend at the mall, wanna see?" Chris asked, holding out her cat purse.

"Okay." She said, sitting down on the couch next to Chris and watched her dig through her purse and pull out a five dollar bill.

"Five dollars." She noted.

"Yep, I'm rich!" Chris said assertively.

Brennan couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips. "Yes you are." She replied. "What are you going to buy with that?"

Chris shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe a book!"

"You like books?" she asked.

"Uh huh." Chris replied. "My daddy reads them to me all the time. My favourite is the bone book."

"Bone book?" she inquired.

"It tells you all about the bones in your body." Chris said. "Did you know your fingers are called your 'langes?"

Brennan smiled. "You are a smart little girl."

"Thank you Tempe." Chris said smiling. Clearly Booth had taught her about manners as well.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Chris swinging her legs contentedly.

"Tempe?" Chris asked.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Do you catch the bad guys with Daddy?"

"Yes I do." She said.

"Daddy's the best bad guy catcher ever!" Chris exclaimed. "But sometimes we can't play cuz he's busy catching them."

"Oh I see." Brennan replied. "What do you do when he's catching them?"

"I play with Dr. Jack and Angela!" Chris said excitedly.

"How come you don't like daycare?" she said bluntly.

"My daddy's not there to play with me." Chris said, looking sad.

"Oh well, there's lots of kids to play with, right?" she asked.

"I guess so." Chris replied.

She didn't know what to do, she had asked a question and now Chris was looking sad. 'Way to go Brennan.' She thought to herself. 'You can't even take care of her for five minutes without someone else.'

She sat in silence until an idea formed in her head. It probably wouldn't work but…..

"Of course you can't go to daycare." She said. "You don't have the right things."

"I don't?" Chris asked.

"Well you need a backpack to put your stuff in. And some crayons so that you can colour lots of pictures for Daddy to give him when he comes to get you."

"Can I get a backpack with my five dollars?" Chris asked, sounding excited.

"Well why don't I get that for you and you can put a book in your new backpack okay?"

"Okay Tempe!" Chris said. "What else do I need?"

She racked her brain. She wasn't quite sure what kids did in daycare.

"Umm….what do you do in daycare?" she asked.

"I don't know." Chris replied.

"We will ask Angela when she gets here okay?"

Chris nodded and they fell into silence again.

"Tempe?" Chris asked. "Daddy doesn't get to come to daycare too?"

"No, it's a special place for little kids." She replied. "But at the end of the day, he will come and get you okay? And if you get scared, you just have to be brave."

"I'm good at being brave!" Chris said, puffing out her chest.

Brennan laughed and stroked Chris's wavy hair. "I bet you are."

There was a knock at the door and Chris jumped up and ran over. Brennan followed and opened the door to reveal Angela standing on the step.

"Hi Angela!" Chris shouted. "We need your help!"

Angela laughed. "Okay, hold on, let me get in the apartment first. Are you two girls ready to go shopping?"

"Yep! I'm going to daycare but Daddy can't come but I can colour pictures for him and I'm getting a backpack!" Chris said excitingly.

"Oh really?" Angela replied, raising an eyebrow at Brennan.

"Well…I…" she said, trying to explain.

"Tempe, I hafta go to the bathroom." Chris said, jumping from foot to foot.

"Oh, okay, it's this way." She replied, guiding Chris down the hall.

Angela heard murmured voices and then her friend returned.

"Going to daycare?" Angela asked.

"Well, I thought that if Chris had some things like a backpack, that she would be more inclined to go to daycare. Is that right?" Brennan asked, biting her lip nervously.

"Sweetie, that's perfect." Angela replied. "See I told you that you'd be good at this."

"Angela, I have no idea what I'm doing." She confessed.

"Well whatever it is, its working." Angela said, flinging her arm around Brennan's shoulder. "Just relax, okay?"

She nodded and Chris came running out of the bathroom.

"I just thought of something that you would need." Angela said. " A first day of school outfit."

"Okay!" Chris replied, her enthusiasm making both Angela and Brennan laugh out loud.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were standing patiently in a children's store, watching Chris pick out her favourite clothes. They had already bought a backpack that had a picture of a cartoon princess that she didn't know, but Chris seemed to like it.

Angela was trying not to laugh as Brennan was explaining to Chris that a fancy party dress wasn't the best thing for the first day of school.

"So?" she said, once her friend had joined her.

"She doesn't really like anything." Brennan said. "Maybe this was a bad idea…"

"Dr. Brennan?"

She turned around and came face to face with Rebecca.

"Rebecca, hi." She said, feeling instantly nervous.

Rebecca smiled. "How are you?"

"Well…" she started to say.

"Tempe!" Chris shouted. "Can I wear this please?"

All three women turned to look at Chris who was holding up a sparkly silver dress.

Rebecca began to laugh. "Seeley didn't tell you? You shouldn't let Chris pick out her own clothes. He did that once and she ended up wearing a superheroes cape and a kilt for three days!"

Angela laughed. "I think I saw that picture."

"Umm…well, I didn't know what she would like and…" Brennan started.

"Don't worry, I'll help." Rebecca said, smiling. "I am pretty much done for Parker anyway."

"Thanks." She replied, giving a tentative smile of her own.

"Whaddya say we all get some lunch after this?" Angela said, glad that Brennan and Rebecca were getting along.

"I'd love to." Rebecca said.

She nodded and turned her attention back to Chris who was now trying on sunglasses in the mirror. Whereas she hadn't had much interaction with Rebecca before, she was surprised by the immediate acceptance of the situation in Rebecca's eyes with no questions asked.

"Hi Becca!" Chris waved as she modeled some large white sunglasses.

"Hi Chris!" Rebecca replied.

Brennan looked at the racks of clothing, her eyes settling on a striped blue and green sundress that had a sparkly butterfly attached on the front.

"How about this?" she said, holding it up for Chris.

"That's pretty." Angela said.

"Yeah, that's pretty." Echoed Chris, dropping the sunglasses and moving towards her.

"You could match it with these tights." Rebecca said, holding up a pair of blue tights.

"What do you think?" she asked Chris.

"Okay Tempe." Chris said, running back over to the sunglasses.

"Was it just me or was that too easy?" Angela asked.

"First rule with kids, don't give them too many choices." Rebecca replied. "It's just easier that way."

They finally made it out of the store and found a restaurant. Chris was patiently colouring on her kids menu while the three women chatted about everything. After they ordered, Angela took Chris to the bathroom, giving the two women a bit of time to talk.

"Thanks for your help." She said. "And look… about all this…"

"It's okay, Dr. Brennan." Rebecca replied. "I don't know you very well but I do know Seeley and he has been in love with you forever. I am glad you two decided to work things out."

"Thanks." She said quietly. "I just don't know what I'm doing."

"With Chris?" Rebecca enquired. "Don't worry, you will have that feeling often. That's what being a parent is all about. Besides you did well with her today."

"I just helped her pick out clothes." She stated.

"And convinced her to go to daycare." Rebecca replied. "Angela told me. And that is a big thing. With kids you just have to take it one step at a time. And listen, please feel free to call me. I remember what Parker was like when he was that age."

"Thanks Rebecca, I appreciate it." She said, feeling like she had one more ally in her pocket. "And please, call me Tempe."

Rebecca nodded.

Chris and Angela returned and as they waited for their food, the three women chatted not noticing Chris shaking her glass of chocolate milk back and forth. As the waiter came and placed their food on the table, Chris shouted "Chicken fingers!" and knocked over her glass of milk, causing it to run across the entire table.

At the same time, the waiter, who was startled by the yelling, accidentally let slip one of the plates he was holding and it came down with crash on the table, french fries and salad scattering everywhere.

Rebecca began to laugh. "That's the other thing about kids." She said. "They are definitely messy!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth heard Chris chattering as they reached the apartment door, and he suppressed the urge to leap up and run to them. He had been expecting them an hour ago, but Temperance had called and said they were running late. The door opened and Chris came running in.

"Daddy!" she said, running toward the couch and jumping on top of him.

"Hey Munchkin!" he replied.

"Daddy I'm not a munchkin, I'm a big girl!" Chris protested.

He looked up and smiled at Temperance who grinned back at him, her arms full of shopping bags.

"Did you two have fun?" he asked.

"Yep, Daddy! We went with Angela and I got a new backpack for school and I got a pretty dress and I had chocolate milk and Becca came and Tempe got me some books!" Chris said excitedly.

"Rebecca was there?" he asked.

"We met her in a store and we went for lunch." She said, placing the bags down and sitting next to them on the couch. Chris got up and searched through the bags until she found her backpack.

"See my Belle backpack Daddy?" Chris said, holding it up. "I'm going to put my crayons in it for school!"

"School?" he asked, looking over at her.

"Don't be sad, Daddy." Chris said, coming up and putting her hand over his. "Tempe says that only little kids can go but when I am done you will come get me and I can show you all the pictures I made."

He looked up astonished.

Chris took off down the hall to her room. "I'm getting crayons!" she yelled, causing both of them to chuckle.

"You got her to go to daycare?" he asked.

"Is that okay?' she said nervously. "It was just an idea and it seemed to work.."

"It's great Temperance." He said, leaning over and giving her a kiss on the cheek. She beamed and he pulled her close, trying to ignore the twinge of jealousy in the pit of his stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, so almost a month later, here is the next chapter! I apologize profusely, I had three events in June that I had to run and it took over my life. (This is what I get for attempting to write three fics at once!) Anyway, now that Rarely Pure is over, I can focus totally on this and my co-authoring efforts with I hart Booth! I hope you enjoy!**

She leaned against the railing of her balcony and watched as the sun crept over the buildings, illuminating her face. She raised the cup of tea to her mouth and took a tentative sip, the hot liquid warming her instantly.

It was Sunday and she was back in her apartment. After shopping yesterday, she felt the need to head home to her own place but found herself unable to sleep because he wasn't there. She had vowed when he left four years ago, that she would never let a man envelop her like he did, and yet here he was, doing it again.

She felt as if she was looking into a cracked mirror, each fragment showing her a different reality. Her with Booth and Chris, a happy family, her alone as before, her and Booth before she got pregnant. She didn't know how to put those pieces together to shape her current reality.

She wasn't planning on going back on her word now, she wanted to be with Booth and Chris, she knew that. But making this decision led her down a road fraught with pain and difficulty. It could be good as well, she knew that. Her and Booth could be blissfully happy without a care in the world, but she doubted that things would go as smoothly. This was real life, not a fairytale.

There was a look in Booth's eyes, a spark of jealousy and it unnerved her. As much as she loved Chris, she knew that Booth and Chris would always have a connection that she would be unable to replicate, as much as she tried. His jealous look made her feel guilty, as if she was taking Chris away from him. Of course he covered it quickly and laughed at the sight of Chris stuffing all of her crayons into her backpack, but Brennan knew that he was bothered by the daycare thing.

Her heart felt heavy as she thought over the events of the past week. It scared her to think that she was now responsible for another person's life. It had occurred to her multiple times that she had no idea how to take care of a child. Yes, Saturday was not that bad, but she had Angela and Rebecca helping her.

She took another sip of her tea and sat down on her patio chair. The other part of her life, the one where she was alone; she wasn't quite ready to part with. She loved her apartment, her things, the quietness of the mornings. She loved being able to do what she wanted without a timeline. She felt selfish for still wanting this, knowing that being a parent meant that you shouldn't be selfish at all. She wasn't prepared for that.

Shutting her eyes, she thought about Chris. Her long wavy hair and dimpled smile. She couldn't help but smile as she recalled Chris's antics yesterday. But she still felt a pang in her heart when she looked at her, remembering the day in the hospital when she had held her.

She was scared of Chris finding out she was her mother. Chris may not understand now, but Brennan knew when Chris was older, that she would have to explain why she left her. It was that fear of judging that was the strongest. She was unsure about handing her heart over to this little girl to be loved, if she was hurt in the future.

And Booth. Although he had said he loved her, the voice in the back of her head kept whispering that one day he would wake up and realize what she had done and then leave her again.

She choked back tears as she looked out at the city, each building strangely unique. She could see the national park in the distance as well as both the Jeffersonian and the Hoover building. The sun was fully up now, and the birds were madly chirping like crazy.

She was scared the Booth would come to realize everything that was wrong about her. The kidnapping two years ago made her a broken woman. She was just now, finally getting all the pieces of herself together and she was sure she would never be completely fixed. What had been done to her, followed her everywhere. Whether she was at the lab or at the grocery store, it didn't matter. One day shortly after, she had gone for a walk in the park and smelled something that was so distinctly him, her attacker, that she had broken down in tears and hadn't returned to that park for over a year.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she placed her mug on the table next to her. Getting up, she leaned over the balcony, looking at the people below. Families laughing and people joking. She knew with Booth and Chris she had the opportunity to have a family, instead of being on the outside looking in.

She was startled by the ringing of her phone and she grabbed her mug and quickly headed inside.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bones, its me." Booth's voice washed over her like a warm blanket and her lips curled into a smile.

"Hi." She said softly.

There was silence for a few seconds as if Booth was unsure of what to say.

"Is Chris okay?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

"No, no Chris is fine." He replied. "Sound asleep right now. I'm just calling because….because I miss you."

Her breath hitched. "Oh." She said lamely.

"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you…" he said, starting to feel stupid for calling her.

"I missed you too." She blurted out.

"What are we doing here, Temperance?" he asked. "Because I feel like we are unsure about our relationship and yet we decided to be together. We've only kissed a few times and that isn't enough for me. I know you said you weren't ready to move in and I respect that, but I want you in my arms, beside me. I feel like we are both waiting for the other shoe to drop, for something bad to happen."

"I don't know." She said honestly. "Booth, this is hard for me, I can't just leap into your arms and everything will be okay. You know that's not how it works."

"I get that you're scared, I'm scared too but.."

"Do you really?" she asked. "Because in the last few days I have decided to be a mother to this little girl that I have abandoned and to start a relationship with a man that I never thought I'd see again. It's too much, too fast. I'm not saying I'm walking away, I'm not, I just need time."

"Okay." He said quietly. "So…what are you doing today?"

"Writing." She replied. "I have to finish my book, my deadline's coming up. You?"

"Oh you know, tea parties and such."

"I should go." She said, squeezing her eyes tight. "Can I talk to you later?"

"Yeah, anytime okay?" he replied.

"Okay, bye." She hung up the phone and rubbed her eyes. Placing the phone back on the hook, she made her way to her bedroom. Suddenly, she was feeling tired. Perhaps a few more hours of sleep would help her focus. She pulled back the covers and slipped in, thinking about everything he said.

She pulled the covers up to her chin and shut her eyes, imagining his arms around hers. Soon she fell into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here is the next chap! Thanks to xAbiVx, Bellabun, brennanmars, krazegirl, canadianagurl, Mockingbird84, squillyfer, and immalee as well as to everyone else reading! I hope you enjoy!**

Booth awoke to Chris, jumping up and down on his chest.

"Hi Daddy, Hi Daddy, Hi Daddy!" Chris shouted.

"Yes, pumpkin?" he mumbled blearily.

"It's time for school!" she shouted, as she leapt off the bed and ran out of the room.

He groaned and looked over at the clock. 6:10 am. You'd think that after four years he would be used to his daughter waking him up by now. He pulled back the covers and got out of bed, trudging over to the bathroom.

As he splashed water on his face, he couldn't help but think of his conversation with Bones yesterday. He knew she was scared, he couldn't deny that he felt apprehensive himself. And part of him completely understood where she was coming from. But the other part just wanted all of this to be over, so they could be together.

'You're not in a fairytale, Seeley.' He scolded himself. 'Everything doesn't wrap up nicely in four chapters.'

"Daddddddyyyy."

He chuckled to himself. Chris was a very well behaved girl but one thing she wasn't was patient. He headed out to the kitchen where he saw her sitting her in chair, swinging her legs and humming a song.

"Yes, Munchkin?" he asked, ruffling her hair as he walked by. He grabbed a cup and turned to the best appliance he ever bought, a automatic coffee machine that was programmed to make him coffee in the morning. He put the cup under and the machine starting pouring out some fresh coffee. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Daddy, I want fruit loops." Chris said.

"Uh uh, you had fruit loops yesterday, how 'bout some Cheerios?"

"But Daaaaadddddyyyy." Chris whined. "It's my first day of school!"

He bit back a laugh as he saw her expression, a perfect replica of his charm smile. However she had added fluttering eyelashes for effect.

"Fine." He said, reaching into the cupboard and grabbing the box.

"YEAH!" Chris shouted. 'Thanks Daddy!"

"You're welcome." He replied. "But keep your voice down. We don't want to wake up the whole city."

Chris giggled. Her daddy was silly.

They sat side by side, eating fruit loops and laughing about a silly story they had read.

"Go get dressed, I will be there in a minute." He said, as Chris hopped down from her chair and ran to her bedroom. He shook his head as he remembered how last night in the bath she had asked for extra shampoo in her hair to make it nice and shiny for school. She was definitely a character.

Knowing that she would be occupied for a few minutes, he made his way to the bedroom and began to get dressed. As a single father he had mastered the art of getting dressed in under five minutes. He still wore the suits, despite them been spit up on, thrown up on, food tossed on them and much more. He quickly ran some gel through his hair and made his way down the hall to Chris's room. He slowed down as he heard her chattering to someone.

"Okay Mr. Franks, now its time to go to school." He heard her say.

He slowly made his way to the door and opened it slightly. She was sitting on the floor, her backpack beside her and the stuffed dog in front of her.

"Now I know you might be scared, but that's okay. We have to be brave like Daddy says. I see you have your first day of school outfit on."

Booth forced back a laugh as he took a good look at Mr. Franks. Chris had stuffed some doll clothes on him, so now he was wearing a little ruffled t-shirt.

"Knock, knock." He said, making his presence known.

"Is it school yet?" she asked, grabbing Mr. Franks and her backpack.

"Hair and teeth first." He replied.

They made their way to the bathroom and Chris got her stool and put some toothpaste on her toothbrush. At the sink next to hers, Booth did the same thing and they began to brush their teeth simultaneously.

When they finished, Booth grabbed the hairbrush and began brushing her hair.

"Can I have pigtails?" Chris asked.

"Of course." He replied, already having one side done. Chris always asked for pigtails. He finished the other one and expertly tied two ribbons around them.

"Now is it time for school, Daddy!" Chris asked.

"Yes, now it is time."

She jumped off the school, grabbed Mr. Franks and her backpack and ran to the front door.

As he watched her run out of the room, he thought about how Bones had done Chris's pigtails on Friday and how nervous she seemed about getting it right. Suddenly a thought a occurred to him and he cursed under his breath. "How could I be so stupid?" he muttered, making his way to the front door.

Ten minutes later, after much decision about what shoes were the best for the first day of school, they were on the road, headed not in the direction of the daycare, but to Bones' apartment. He pulled up in front of her building, grabbed his cellphone and dialled her number.

"Brennan."

"Hey Bones, its me. Listen, sorry to bother you, but can I talk to you?"

"Sure Booth, what's up?" she asked.

"Actually, I need to talk to you face to face. Could you come outside?" he said.

"Outside?"

"Yeah, I would come up but I don't want to unbuckle Chris and besides I want to take you somewhere, if that's okay." He said, hoping she would say yes.

After a short pause she finally responded. "Give me five minutes."

He hung up the phone and looked back at Chris.

"I have to talk to Temperance for a sec, okay?" he asked. "Then we will go to daycare."

"Okay Daddy." Chris replied.

He hopped out of the car, went around to the other side, and leaned against the window. Eventually she opened the front door to her building and he moved forward.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I wanted to apologize." He replied.

"For what?" she said curiously.

"I was brushing Chris's hair this morning and I realized that on Friday you gave Chris pigtails and that was probably something you had never done before. And then I remembered the sad look on your face at the swings and it occurred to me what the reason was. You didn't know the words to the song."

She tipped her head slightly.

"It's not your fault." He replied, moving towards her and tilting her chin up. "It's mine. I should have realized that you wouldn't know stuff like that."

"It is my fault Booth." She said. "I wasn't there for all of that."

"Yes, but you shouldn't feel left out now that you are here." He said. "So I promise I will teach you everything okay?"

She nodded.

"And I thought that you might want to come with me to take Chris to daycare. The first day of school is pretty important right? You should be there."

"Really?" she asked, biting her bottom lip.

"Really." He replied, leaning down and brushing her lips with his gently. She immediately reached up and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

Booth pulled away before it got too heated.

"Well, we should go." He said. "There is one impatient girl in there, ready for school."

She smiled broadly and opened the car door, ready to drop their daughter off at daycare.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Booth got Chris unbuckled from her seat, Brennan took the time to look around quickly at the daycare. There were kids everywhere, sliding down slides and swinging on swings.

"Alright." Booth said, handing the backpack and Mr. Franks to Chris. "Ready to go to school?"

Chris nodded her head silently. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she took in all of the kids.

"Let's go inside, okay?" Booth asked.

"Wait!" Brennan said. "I….I have a camera, maybe we could take a picture. You know, because its her first day of school."

Booth smiled broadly. "That's a great idea, Temperance."

She reached into her purse and pulled out a camera that she normally used for crime scenes. She laughed at Chris struck a pose and she snapped a picture and then another.

"Okay your turn." Booth said, nudging her towards Chris.

"Me?" she asked.

He nodded. She knelt down beside Chris and smiled. Just before Booth took the picture, Chris turned sideways and hugged her, their faces side by side as they smiled for the camera.

"Good one." Booth said, smiling.

She just nodded, unable to speak as the tears welled in her eyes. Taking the camera from Booth, she took a few photos of the two of them and then they headed inside, to drop Chris off.

After fifteen minutes, in which all three were reluctant to leave each other, Chris finally got settled in and Booth and Brennan made their way back to the car. When she got buckled in, she turned to Booth.

"Thanks Booth." She said.

"Thank you." He replied, reaching over and squeezing her hand. She blinked and held her breath as a swell of emotions threatened to overtake her.

As they drove off, she looked out the window and smiled. She finally got to be a part of a big moment in her daughter's life.

It felt good.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! Canada Day got in the way! Thank you to all my readers and reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: This chapter is rated M and contains graphic situations. It also deals with Brennan's rape. If this makes you uncomfortable in any way please feel free to bypass the chapter.**

They headed back to the Jeffersonian, each too lost in their own thoughts to communicate with each other. The shrill ringing of Booth's cellphone broke them both from their reverie. He fumbled with the phone as he tried to keep his eyes on the road.

"Booth." He answered. "Right now?"

She watched as he glanced at her tentatively and then flicked his eyes back to the road again. Clearly he thought the phone call would bother her and she wanted to know why.

"Uh, yeah, I'm a few streets away. Okay. See you soon."

He snapped the phone shut and glanced at her again.

"So I have to make a detour, if that's okay." He said hesitantly.

"Absolutely." She replied. "What is it?"

"It's the house. I need to meet the realtor there."

"Are you buying it?" she asked.

"Well, I'm trying to but the bank won't approve of the loan amount I asked for. Hopefully the realtor will tell me they lowered the price."

He pulled to a stop in front of a large, fairly modern home.

"This is it." He said, gesturing to the house.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"On Oak Street. It's about five minutes form the Jeffersonian and eight from the Hoover."

She smiled. "You planned that?"

"Of course." He replied, grinning back as they stepped out of the car. They made their way to the front of the house, Brennan admiring the front garden as they walked up the steps. The door flung open and a tall, red-headed woman stuck her head out.

"Mr. Booth!"

"Ms. James." Booth replied, shaking her hand. "This is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"Oh my goodness, Dr. Brennan. I love your books!"

"Uh thank you." Brennan replied awkwardly.

"Well come look at the house." Ms. James said, leading them inside. "Mr. Booth, I got the owners to knock it down to $335,000 but no further."

Brennan saw a look of disappointment flash across Booth's face.

"Oh well, I…" he started.

He was cut off by Ms. James phone ringing. As she moved away to answer it, Brennan started to move around the house. She could see why Booth wanted to live here, it was gorgeous.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Booth said wistfully.

Brennan stepped into the living room and her eyes widened. A stunning stone fireplace was the centrepiece of the room and large bay windows gave a fantastic view of the backyard.

"It's excellent." She replied.

"Come see my favourite part." Booth said, grabbing her hand. He led her to a door at the end of the living room. "This is your room." He said, opening the door.

"My room?" she asked curiously.

"Well, not your room exactly…" he said, hastily backtracking. "I just thought if maybe…"

"It's beautiful." She interjected, looking around the room. It was a study that had bookshelves built into one entire wall. There also a beautiful mahogany desk facing the small window that looked out into the backyard.

"This would be mine?" she asked.

"I thought, you know, for your writing." Booth stammered.

"It's a great room, isn't it?" Ms. James said, coming into the room. "It's definitely been a big selling feature. Now Mr. Booth, I have to quickly dash to my other house a few streets over. I'll only be twenty minutes and then we can talk okay?"

"Actually I…" Booth started.

"That would be great." Brennan said, ignoring the look of surprise on Booth's face.

"Okay then, see you in a bit." Ms. James replied, heading out of the house.

"Show me the rest of it." Brennan said, slipping her fingers into his.

He nodded and led her out of the room. They walked through the living room and kitchen, briefly glancing at the expansive backyard. They made their way upstairs, peering into three similar sized bedrooms before making their way to the master bedroom.

While the décor differed to what she would do, she could see why Booth so clearly loved this house. The master bedroom was huge with a large walk in closet.

"Hmmm…" she said, peering in. "There might be just enough room for your ties in here."

"Oh, ha, ha." He replied, his arms encircling her waist as he placed a kiss on her crown. "Come on, let's go see my other favourite part."

"You'll have to let go of me first." She said, smiling.

He shrugged and grinned, letting go of her.

Making their way downstairs, she once again slipped her fingers into his and was rewarded with a smile.

"This is the backyard." He said, pulling the sliding glass door open.

She let her gaze drift over the large backyard. There was a pool as well as a deck and a small garden. She smiled as she saw the swing set and suddenly an image came unbidden into her mind. It was her and Booth, sitting on the deck watching Chris as she swung on the swings; Booth's arms around her and the sound of Chris's giggling in the air. She drew in a short breath as she blinked back tears.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"We need to talk." She replied, gesturing to the porch swing.

"Right." He said calmly, trying to ignore the fear clenching his insides.

"I'm overwhelmed." She said as soon as they sat down. She saw the look of panic in his eyes and reached over and grabbed his hand.

"Seeley, I'm overwhelmed, I'm not running." She saw his shoulders relax and she continued. "There's been such a seismic shift in my life and I'm having a hard time with it. One minute I've given up you and Chris and the next minute I have you in my life again. It's hard for me to encapsulate what I'm feeling into words, besides you know I'm no good at this."

She raised her hand as she saw his mouth open.

"Wait." she continued. "Logic would dictate that although I'm not ready now, in the coming months I will be ready for all this." She gestured around the room.

"Wait, what are you saying?" he asked.

"I want to buy the house." She replied.

"I can't afford…" he started.

"But I can." She said. "Let me do this for you…for us." She corrected herself.

"You said you weren't ready."

"Are you trying to talk me out of it?" she teased.

"I just want to make sure that you are okay with this. It's a big deal and you said you were overwhelmed."

"I am, but at the same time I know I need this." She replied, clasping his hands. "But I have some things I'm not ready for that you need to know. I'm not ready for Chris to know I'm her mom." She saw the surprised look on his face and she continued. "I need to practice at being her mom before I tell her."

"You're a good mom already." He said, squeezing her hand.

"Please Seeley, don't push me on this." She replied. "I will do it when the time is right."

He nodded.

"I'm not ready for marriage, you know I don't need it. And more children… I love Chris but.."

"Temperance I haven't even been thinking about those things." He interjected. "I'm just focused on us, right now. You are putting the cart before the horse. Whatever you are ready for, is okay with me."

She smiled softly, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I'm ready for you to kiss me."

"I can do that." He grinned, leaning in closer. Their lips touched and it was like every time before it. Absolutely perfect.

"Ahem."

They broke apart and looked sheepishly at Ms. James, who was standing in front of them.

"Well?" she inquired.

"We'll take it." Brennan said decisively.

"Excellent." Ms. James replied. "All you need to do is coordinate with your bank."

"Actually we won't be getting a mortgage." Brennan said.

"Right, well then I will put in your offer and let you know."

"Thank you." Booth said as they rose from the couch. After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries they were back in the car and on the road.

"No mortgage?" Booth asked. "Are you sure because.."

"I'm sure." She said, placing her hand on his thigh. "And I know what I'm ready for now." By the way her hand was inching up his thigh, he knew as well.

"We have to go to work." He managed to say.

"I'm the boss." She replied, grinning mischievously. "I'm sure I can be late."

Booth pressed down on the acceleration and they made it to his apartment in less than five minutes.

They restrained themselves until they got inside his apartment and then his lips attacked hers furiously. She pushed back, her tongue slipping into his mouth as she moaned loudly. As he lifted her up into his arms, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He moved his lips down her neck as they made their way to the bedroom. Gently placing her on the bed, he gazed at her reverently.

"Booth." She said impatiently, wanting his lips back on hers.

He kissed her tenderly and slowly began to undo the buttons on her shirt.

"I want to do this right." He whispered, placing soft kisses down her chest. "Not like last time."

She nodded and sat up as he removed her shirt, his eyes roaming her body. He ran his hand up the side of her hip, brushing over the scare that lay there. "Beautiful." He said, staring into her eyes.

_It was the fourth time for him, six times in total. She didn't know what time of the day it was but she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She was naked; they hadn't even bothered to dress her after the second or third time._

_He ran his hand up the side of her hip, grinning evilly as he poked his fingers into her wound. "Beautiful." He said, chuckling._

Her gasp went unnoticed by Booth who was peeling off her bra. She shook the image out of her head and pushed him onto his back, unbuttoning his shirt as she went. She kissed his chest, just like he had done and once she had removed his shirt, she reached for his buckle.

He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her down and kissed her. "God I love you." He said into her ear. "I wanted this for such a long time."

"Me too." She replied, moving off him as she reached down and unbuckled his belt.

_His hands were clenched in her hair and he yanked her towards him. "I've wanted this for such a long time." He hissed. "Ever since I read your book. Now get down there." He said, pushing her towards his waist. "Do what I say or you'll have to be whipped again."_

"Temperance are you okay?" Booth said, noting the strange look on her face.

"I'm fine." She replied, trying to slow her breathing down. "I've just changed my mind. Me first." She rolled off of him and onto her back.

"Okay." He said hesitantly. He undid her pants and softly pulled them down along with her underwear. Kissing her gently on the lips, he dipped his fingers into her folds and she moaned, tilting her head back and closing her eyes.

"You like that don't you?" Booth said softly, inserting another finger into her.

_"I knew it." The man sneered. "You like that don't you? You, Temperance Brennan are nothing more than a dirty slut."_

"NO!!" she shouted, squirming away from Booth.

"Temperance!" he said, reaching for her but missing her as she leapt off the bed. "What's wrong? Tell me…"

She just shook her head and grabbed the clothes nearest to her and hastily put them on as Booth searched around for his pants.

"Please Temperance…" he begged, seeing the wild look in her eyes.

"Don't touch me." She rasped as she ran out of the room.

By the time he got his pants on and had run out to the living room, the door had slammed shut and she was gone.

She ran only across the street and then collapsed on a park bench. Putting her head between her knees, she tried to regulate her increasingly erratic breathing. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her cellphone and began to dial. Angela picked up on the second ring.

"Angela it's me." She wheezed.

"Bren, where are you? Are you okay? Is Booth with you?" Angela said, her tone panicky.

"Park bench. Near Booth's. Come get me." She managed to get out as she clutched one hand to her chest.

"Where's Booth? Let me call him." Angela replied.

"No, Ange, just come get me. Please."

"I'll be there as soon as I can.

* * *

Booth raced down his stairs, not bothering to wait for an elevator. When he got outside, he frantically looked up and down the street, not seeing her anywhere. He jumped into his car and sped off, not seeing the figure collapsed on the ground across the street at the park. 


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here is the next chapter, sorry for the delay! Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, you rock my world!**

Angela made it to Booth's in less then ten minutes and as soon as she stopped the car, she was out of it running across the street. Seeing Brennan lying on the ground, she began to run faster.

"Oh god, Bren!" she shouted, as she reached her friend.

"It's….okay…I just…." Brennan wheezed.

Angela didn't know what to do. She had never been in a situation like this before. She couldn't carry her but she knew Brennan would have to go to the hospital.

"C'mon." she said, slowly helping Brennan to her feet. Her heart lurched when she saw her friend's face, red and stained with tear tracks. But it was the look in her eyes that scared her the most. It was one of pure terror.

Somehow they made their way back to the car and Angela sped off in the direction of the hospital. Brennan was still breathing rapidly and her hand gripped the armrest so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

"Where….going?" Brennan managed to get out.

"The hospital. We will be there in five minutes." Angela replied, looking over at her worriedly. Every fibre in her being told her to grab her cell phone and call Booth. He would know what to do. He always knew what to do.

"No….hospital."

"Bren, you can't breathe. You're having a panic attack. We need to go to the hospital."

"Please….. Ange, please."

Angela looked over at the pleading look on her friend's face and despite her better judgement, changed lanes and started heading for Brennan's apartment.

Brennan meanwhile, was trying to focus on not passing out, a difficult task considering that she felt so light headed from lack of oxygen.

In. Out. In. Out.

She shut her eyes and was immediately assaulted with images of her rape jumbled together with Booth's face. Opening them quickly, she drew in a sharp breath and felt a wave of dizziness pass over her. She barely registered that they were at her apartment when the car stopped.

A brief wave of panic coursed through her as she looked around for Booth's car. Fortunately he wasn't there.

"Bren, are you sure about this?" Angela asked, worriedly.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Making her way up to her apartment, she fumbled with the keys in her purse. Her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't get the key in the lock.

"Here sweetie." Angela said, taking the keys from her and opening the door. Brennan stumbled her way inside and immediately rushed to the bathroom, Angela following right behind.

"Bren?" Angela questioned, as she opened the bathroom door only to see her best friend throwing up in the toilet. "Oh god." Angela knelt down and pulled Brennan's hair back as she continued to throw up. She couldn't imagine Brennan having to deal with this for two years by herself.

Finally Brennan was done, and grabbing a towel she quickly wiped her mouth, flushed the toilet and leaned back against the cold tile of the bathroom wall. Her breathing was still erratic and there was nothing she could do about it. Most of the time it only took a few minutes to recover from a panic attack but other times like now, it took hours.

She took short, worried gasps as she stared into Angela's worried eyes.

"I'm….fine…" she gasped. "It….just….takes…awhile."

"Brennan, we should go to the hospital."

She shook her head furiously. "I just….need to down.."

"Okay, let's get you in the shower." Angela replied, standing up and turning on the taps in the shower.

Brennan slowly lifted her shirt off, her chest still heaving. She was about to remove her pants when they heard a loud banging. Her eyes widened, she knew it was Booth. Angela looked at her and she shook her head.

"Please…..Angela…. not like this…"

Angela nodded and headed to the front door. As soon as she opened it, Booth came charging in.

"Where is she? Is she here? Is she alright?" he said frantically, pacing back and forth.

"Yes she's here." Angela said. "But she doesn't want to see you. She's having a panic attack and…"

"No offence Angela, but I need to see her." He started to move towards the bedroom when Angela stepped in front of him.

"She's scared Booth." She said. "And I don't know what the hell you did but I can tell you that she doesn't want to see you."

"I don't know what I did either, Angela. One minute we were…" he trailed off. "Look, if Temperance and I are going to make it, I mean really have a relationship then we have to deal with this and everything else that comes our way together. I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I need to go see if she's alright. Please, Angela."

Angela nodded. "She wouldn't let me take her to the hospital."

Booth brushed past her and made his way to her bedroom. Stepping inside, he strode over to the bathroom door and opened it.

He breath hitched as he surveyed the scene before him. She was in the shower, naked, her knees drawn up to her chest and her head leaning against the tiled wall. Her body was shaking as tears ran down her cheeks. Every few seconds the silence would be punctuated by a wheezing gasp.

He was by her side in an instant.

"Oh god, Temperance." He said quietly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. When his fingers hit her skin, she flinched and scooted farther away from him. The expression on her face was one that he didn't see very often. She was scared. More aptly, she was scared of him.

"Booth…" she gasped. "Go away."

Her words stung him but he refused to acquiesce, knowing that if he left now, it could be the end for them.

"No." he said stubbornly. "I'm staying with you." He pulled off his jacket and tossed it aside. "What can I do?"

"Leave." She panted. "I'm not….we can't…" She started getting agitated again, and began to take shorter and shorter breaths.

"Temperance, I need you to breathe." He said, moving closer so that he was almost in the path of the spray. He nudged the shower door back farther so he could have some more room. "Please Temperance." Slowly, he moved his hand towards hers and grasped it.

She looked startled at their physical proximity but did not remove her hand. Squeezing his hand, she tried to regain control of her breathing.

"There you go, you can do it." He said, his calm tone not betraying the feeling of pure panic that was in him. He cupped her cheek with his other hand and tilted her face until she was looking at him. "Just keep looking in my eyes okay? We can do this."

"Booth…I…" she said, trying to explain.

"Ssshhh." He replied softly. "Just breathe okay? In, out. In, out."

She matched her breathing to his soft chanting and after twenty minutes her breathing had started to return to normal.

Without saying a word, he scooped her up and carried her out of the bathroom and laid her down gently on the bed. He went to her drawers and pulled out a pair of pajamas.

"Seeley…you…" she started.

"We'll talk later, okay?" he replied, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I have to go to work." She said, her voice above a whisper.

"No way." He said, helping her into the pajamas. "We don't have a case and you need to sleep. I'm going to call in sick too, okay?"

She blinked back tears at the caring expression in his eyes. She didn't know what to say, how to explain the feelings that had come over her. How she felt so safe and yet so terrified to be in his arms at the same time.

"I…you….you used the same words." She finally managed to get out.

"The same words?" he said confusedly.

"As him. The same words as him."

She saw the flash of guilt in his eyes and wondered once again why he was still here.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"I'm broken." She replied, a sob escaping her lips.

"Hey, hey…" he said reassuringly. "No you aren't." He lay down next to her and pulled her into his arms. She nuzzled her face into his chest and she cried and cried.

For what had been done to her.

For the demons she had to face.

For her uncertain future with Booth.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! And thank you to all my readers and reviewers, I really appreciate it. I hope to reward you with more timely updates!**

Within minutes of falling asleep, Brennan began trembling again, a sign that she was having another nightmare. She murmured and rolled over and then was quiet again. He slowly extracted himself from her and made his way to the living room, where Angela was sitting on the couch.

"Is she okay?" Angela said worriedly.

"Define okay." He replied, sitting next to her.

Angela sighed.

"We bought a house." Booth said abruptly.

"What? When?"

"Today. Well we haven't bought it yet, just put in our offer." He replied.

"Start from the beginning." Angela said.

Booth struggled to remember everything that had happened that day.

"We took Chris to daycare" he started. "It was perfect. For that one moment, we were just a normal couple dropping their daughter off at daycare. And then as we drove to work, the realtor called. You see, I've been looking for a place for me and Chris."

Seeing Angela's questioning look, he continued.

"Temperance said she wasn't ready for that. But today when we looked around at the house she said that we should buy it. So we put in our offer and then we drove back home to celebrate."

Angela was grinning now. "I don't see anything wrong with that." She said cheekily.

"Yeah well…." He trailed off. "We were, you know, and she got a peculiar look on her face but when I asked her about it, she brushed it off so we continued. Then all of a sudden, she freaked out, pushed me away and left."

"She just told me…" he paused, running his hands through his hair. "She told me I used the same words as him."

"The same words?" Angela asked confusedly.

"Angela I used the same words as he did when he was…"

"Oh god." She replied, clasping her hand over her mouth.

"Yeah." He said soberly.

Angela reached over and squeezed his hand. "This is not your fault, Booth."

"Isn't it though, Angela?" he said bitterly. "I wasn't there to protect her. I can't help her with what she's going through."

"You already did help her." Angela said firmly. "You came here and you told her that you weren't leaving her. That's huge."

"Yeah." He sighed. "I feel selfish but I just want us to be fine you know? No problems."

"Look Booth, nobody is without their problems." Angela said philosophically. "Look at me and Jack. We don't have the perfect lives."

He nodded. "Is it wrong that I want to unearth this guy's body and kick the crap out of him?"

Angela chuckled. "Believe me, I feel the same way. Listen, I should go into work, the boys are probably experimenting like crazy."

"I know, I'm late as well, I just…"

"You should call in sick." Angela interrupted.

"I can't. I have a meeting with Cullen in 45 minutes."

Angela nodded, reached over and pulled him into a hug. "You two will get through this just like everything else." She said softly into his ear.

"Thanks, Angela. For everything."

As Angela made her way out of the apartment, Booth headed back to the bedroom. The bed creaked a little as he sat on the edge, staring at her sleeping form. The frown lines had disappeared and he hoped this meant she was dreaming about something a little more pleasant. He reached out and stroked her cheek causing her to stir slightly. Finally she blinked open her eyes.

"What?" she said confusingly.

"Ssh, it's okay. I just wanted to tell you that I need to go into work for a bit but then I will be back."

"I should go in too." She replied softly.

"No way. You're not feeling well, stay here okay? I'll be back soon."

She nodded and he continued to stroke her cheek again until she was sound asleep. He knew she was still shook up by what happened, otherwise she would've insisted on going to work.

In the car on the way to work, Booth couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to her. He was itching to see the file and find out the exact details. He knew Meyers was a good agent and had even worked with him a few times.

By the time he had parked his car in the structure, he had decided to look at the file. It would drive him crazy until he had at least read through it.

45 minutes later, he had the file in his hands. He took a deep breath and opened it. As he read through Meyer's report his hand was clenching and unclenching subconsciously. Angela was right when they said the FBI got it wrong. It was pretty clear that Williamson was the kidnapper and yet they wasted days looking at other suspects.

There was no mention of Brennan's sexual assault however the file did note that the victim was unwilling to talk about the incident in the hospital and had given a written statement later.

Flipping the page he saw her written statement, typed and professional looking. She wrote about the incident with a cold detachment but reading between the lines he could tell she was scared. He could imagine her all alone in her apartment, dealing with this by herself. Despite himself, he felt a surge of guilt pass through him and soon he was up out of his chair and moving towards Agent Meyers office.

He knocked on the door and when Meyers looked up, he could see that the agent looked instantly uncomfortable.

"I was wondering when you were going to come." Meyers stated.

"Can I talk to you about this?" Booth replied, waving the file in his hand.

"Wouldn't you rather beat me up instead?" Meyers said.

Booth just shook his head and sat down across from him.

"What happened?" he asked. Although he had read the file, he still wanted to hear it from him.

"Dr. Brennan and I were working on this case; a woman had been cut up and dumped in garbage bags all over town. It was our second case together, the first one hadn't gone so well but for this one we were starting to get a routine together." Meyers said. "I actually enjoyed working with her, you know? All the guys said she'd be a problem, but she wasn't. She just has a way."

Booth nodded in agreement.

"We started to suspect Fred Williamson after DNA was found on the body. Unfortunately he had an air tight alibi and we were forced to look at other suspects. Then Dr. Brennan got kidnapped. I tried as hard as I could Booth, I swear. I barely slept for days and then…"

"You found her." Booth said gruffly.

"Yeah." Meyers nodded. "She was chained to a pipe in the basement like an animal. Her clothes were ripped and I thought she was…."

"Sexually assaulted." Booth finished for him.

"We got her to a hospital and she refused to give her statement and refused medical treatment. Finally the doctors checked her out quickly and she left. I got the typed statement the next day."

"Why didn't you mention your suspicions about her being sexually assaulted in your report?" Booth asked.

"I did." Meyers replied. "And when I asked her, she denied it. Cullen said that if Dr. Brennan denied it, it shouldn't go in the report and so I amended it."

"You were right." Booth said. "She was raped."

"Oh god." said Meyers softly as he placed his head in his hands. "I'm so sorry. I tried, I did. I tried as hard as I could." He looked up and Booth was surprised to see tears in his eyes.

"It's okay." Booth replied. Seeing anguished look on Meyers face, he repeated himself firmly.

"It's okay."

As Booth walked back to his own office, something was bothering him. He knew that something was missing but he didn't know what. He sat down in his chair and shut his eyes, recalling the conversation in the hospital.

"_Uh uh." He said. "There's something else, I can feel it. Something else happened other than you being chained to that pipe."_

"_Temperance." He said again, cupping her face and bringing it back towards him. His eyes were pleading. "Please." He begged._

"_I was raped, okay?" she said harshly, tossing her head out of his grasp. She turned away from him and stared at the wall. Her voice became soft._

"_They raped me."_

He opened his eyes and sat up straight. He kept playing her words over and over in his mind. 'They raped me. They raped me.'

And as he looked down at the file he knew what was missing. More than one person had done this to her, but yet only one person had been apprehended.

The other was still out there.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay, here we go! Next chapter! It's going to be the last one for a few days because I am getting out my wisdom teeth. Hope you like it! And thanks to all my readers and reviewers! Oh and I included a preview for the next chapter at the end!**

As he walked in the door of her apartment, he saw her sitting at the table typing furiously.

"Hey." He said softly.

She looked up and smiled at him weakly. "Hey."

Taking off his jacket and tossing it on the couch, he sat down on a chair next to her. They both were silent and were barely looking at each other. Booth felt awkward and so did Brennan. She also felt embarrassed and guilty.

"Look Temperance, about today…."

"Let's just forget it, okay?" she said hastily, flicking her eyes back to her computer screen.

"No."

"What?" she asked.

"I don't want to forget it. It's something that we need to work through together."

"It won't happen again, I promise." She said.

"What? You are just going to pretend like it doesn't affect you when we have sex? You really want it to be like that?" he asked incredulously.

She dropped her head. "I don't know. I just don't want to talk about it."

"I looked at the file."

"You what?" she asked, lifting her head. He was surprised to see the amount of anger in her eyes. "Why?"

"Because I know there was another person."

"What?"

"In the hospital." He explained. "You said they…" He trailed off, unable to say the words out loud. "Saying they means that there must be more than one person. Since they only found Williamson, it means another person is out there. Free."

She blinked back tears. "Why? How could you? Why didn't you ask me?" she shouted.

He was taken aback by her anger. "How could I? He's out there possibly doing this to someone else. He needs to be stopped."

She shook her head and pushed herself away from the table.

"Don't walk away, Temperance." He said firmly.

She spun around, her eyes blazing. "I didn't ask you to get involved with this, I just want to put it behind me."

"Put it behind you?" he said, clenching his fists in an effort to remain calm. "How can you do that? You wake up almost every night from a nightmare, you have these panic attacks…"

"This is none of your business!" she shouted. "I got along fine without you for four years, remember?"

"Temperance." He said calmly, moving towards her. "If we are going to be happy together, we are going to have to get through this. The both of us."

She blinked and a tear fell down her cheek. Despite wanting to hang on to it, she could feel her anger dissipating.

"Please." He continued. "We can do this."

"I….I can't." she said shakily.

He took another step towards her and placed his hands on her arms.

"Yes you can."

Her body shook as she collapsed into his arms. He rubbed slow circles on her back and she silently cried. Finally she pulled away.

"Do we have to….I mean can we talk about something else?"

"Yeah." He replied. Glancing over at the clock, he realized that it was almost time to go get Chris. "Come on, I am sure there is one excited little girl who wants to tell us all about daycare."

"Okay." She said, wiping her eyes. "Let me just get changed."

Soon they were on the road to the daycare, both of them feeling exhausted. So much had happened since this morning.

"So do you want to come to dinner with us?"

"I don't know, Booth, I think I might just go home. I'm not really feeling well."

He nodded.

They pulled up to the daycare, once again seeing the swarm of kids.

"I hope she was okay." He said under his breath.

She looked over and instantly realized that she had forgotten how he would be feeling today.

He went to open the car door but she reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I just wanted to say….what you did for me this morning, letting me be here for Chris's first day of school was one of the best things that anyone has ever done for me. And I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" he asked.

"I realized that me convincing Chris to go to daycare was interfering maybe when I shouldn't have. I know it's just been the two of you and I want to make sure that I don't come between that. You two have this great bond and you're such a great dad."

Then it was him needing to blink back tears as he realized that he really needed to hear that.

"I think we both just need to learn to work together when it comes to Chris. Then neither of us will feel left out." He replied.

"Okay."

Leaning over, his kissed her lips softly. "Whatever happens, we can handle it."

"Mmmmm…" she murmured, as he kissed her cheek.

"C'mon, let's go." Booth said, pulling back and getting out of the car.

After looking around the playground for Chris they decided to head inside. They were about to inquire with someone where she was, when they heard a yell at the other end of the hallway.

"DAAAAADDDDDYYYY!!!" Chris came barrelling down the hall towards them, her backpack in one hand her Mr. Franks hanging precariously from the other.

Booth took several strides forward and scooped her up into a big hug.

"Hey Princess!" he said into her ear. He didn't realize how much he had missed her all day. "Did you have a good first day at school?"

"Yeah! I met a girl and we played in the sand and the lady was nice and I got juice!" Chris said excitedly as she wiggled out of his arms. "Hi Tempe!"

"Hi Chris." She replied, kneeling down.

"I made lots of pictures, wanna see?" Chris said.

She nodded and allowed Chris to grab her hand and pull her down the hallway. She looked back at Booth who was still standing in the same position, the tears now unabashedly running down his face.

"You go." He said. "I'll be there in a minute." Wiping his face he chastised himself. 'Calm down Seeley, it's just the first day of school. What's going to happen when she goes on a first date?'

It had seemed in the mere seven hours that he had been away from her, she had grown up a little. Moving towards the room, he could hear Chris chattering away to Temperance. Despite everything that had happened today, he still felt glad. Because he still had them.

* * *

**PREVIEW:**

"No!" Chris said, stomping her feet. "I don't wanna do that!"

"Umm…well…" Brennan said hesitantly. "What about you Parker?" she said, looking at the sullen little boy on the couch.

"I don't want to do anything." Parker said, crossing his arms and scowling at her.

"Ahh…well…." She said, racking her brain for something that they could do together. This day had grown progressively worse and worse and she was beginning to feel like she wasn't cut out for this after all.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So I just realized that this is only chapter ten and I already have 102 reviews and 59 people on alert! I am blown away! Honestly, its incredible. And the number of reviews that have either a) reassured me that I am heading in the right direction or b) provided insight into this story that I didn't think of, are amazing! So thank you so much! And I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"You want me to what?"

"I have a meeting with Cullen and I'm supposed to pick up Parker. I won't be long."

"But I can't watch both of them, I mean…" she stumbled.

"It will only be a couple of hours, please?"

And that was how Brennan found herself waiting outside Parker's school, with Chris strapped in the back seat. She was driving Booth's SUV while he took her sports car to the Hoover building. Finally she saw Parker coming out and waved to him half-heartedly.

Suddenly he was standing in front of her and she had no idea what to say. It had been four years since she had seen him and although the brown eyes and curly blonde hair was the same, the rest was very different.

Finally Parker broke the silence. "Where's Dad?" he asked.

"Umm, he had a meeting so he asked me to pick you up is that okay?"

Parker just shrugged and made his way around to the other side of the car and got in.

"Hi Parker!" Chris said, as Brennan got in the front seat.

"Hey Chris." Parker replied.

"I coloured pictures today, what did you do at school?" Chris said excitedly as they headed towards Booth's apartment.

"Nothing." Parker said, crossing his arms and looking out the window.

The drove to the apartment in silence, Brennan unsure about what to say to either of them. She decided instead to formulate ideas for what they could do for the next few hours. By the time she parked the car and they made their way into the apartment, she had a few good ideas in mind.

"So.." she said, once they made their way into the apartment. "How about a snack?"

Chris shouted yes and Parker said nothing, just went and flopped himself on the couch. She looked through Booth's cupboards and came across some cookies. Pouring a glass of milk for each of them, she brought the cookies and milk over to the kitchen table.

"Here." She said.

Chris climbed up onto the chair and wrinkled her nose. "I don't like milk." She announced.

"But it's good for you." Brennan said. Chris just shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Okay, well then what would you like?"

"Pop!" Chris said descively.

"You're not allowed pop." Parker called from the couch.

"But I want it." Chris pouted.

"How about juice?" Brennan suggested. "Water?"

Chris just shook her head and sat there.

"Okay, well what about you Parker? Do you want some?"

"No." came his one word reply.

She didn't know what was wrong with him. This was not the sweet boy she remembered.

"Um…okay…" she trailed off, unsure of what to do next. In the meantime, Chris had taken her cookie and slid down off the kitchen chair.

"Why don't we all go to the park?" she suggested.

"No." Chris said, pouting again.

"Why not? The park is fun and we can go on the swings. You like the swings right Parker?" she said desperately.

"No!" Chris said, stomping her feet. "I don't wanna do that!"

"Umm…well…" Brennan said hesitantly. "What about you Parker?" she said, looking at the sullen little boy on the couch.

"I don't want to do anything." Parker said, crossing his arms and scowling at her.

"Ahh…well…." She said, racking her brain for something that they could do together. This day had grown progressively worse and worse and she was beginning to feel like she wasn't cut out for this after all.

"How about a movie?"

"Dad doesn't let us watch movies after school." Parker said.

"Well, it will be a special treat then." She replied, smiling nervously.

"I wanna watch Little Mermaid!" Chris shouted.

"No way, that movie's for little kids." Parker said. "I want to watch Star Wars."

"I think Chris is too little for Star Wars." Brennan said. "How about a movie you both like?"

"I don't like any movies that the brat likes." Parker said.

"I'm not a brat!" Chris said, starting to cry. "I'm gonna tell Daddy you said that."

"Parker, apologize to Chris." Brennan said.

"No. You can't tell me what to do." Parker shouted, leaping off the couch and standing in front of her. "You're not my mother! You just left Dad and me a long time ago and I don't even know why you're back. We don't need you. You didn't want us and you didn't want Chris so go away!"

"Parker…I…." she started.

"Leave me alone!" Parker shouted, running down the hall to his room and slamming the door shut.

"I…uh…" She turned to Chris and saw tears running down her face. "Um, its okay."

Chris began to cry harder and soon she was wailing at the top of her lungs. And the same time, she could her Parker furiously kicking the wall in his room. What was she supposed to do?

She moved towards Chris and tried to scoop her up into her arms to calm her down.

"Ssshhh…it's okay."

"I'm….not….a brat…." Chris said between sobs.

"No, you're not a brat." She replied, sitting on the couch and rocking her softly.

After a few minutes, Chris' sobs had died down and the little girl began to wiggle in her arms.

"Tempe?" Chris asked plaintively.

"Yes?"

"How come I don't have a mommy?" Chris asked.

Her breath hitched and her heart began pounding rapidly. "W...what?" she stuttered.

Chris sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Mackenzie said that everyone has a mommy AND a daddy and I just said that I had a daddy. Then Mackenzie said that there must be something wrong with me."

She was stunned, unsure of how what to say. Part of her was angry at this girl Mackenzie for saying such things about Chris. But the other part of her was relieved. This was her chance, her chance to tell her daughter that she was her mother.

"I…Chris…I…there's nothing wrong with you, I promise. It's just…"

As she paused to take a breath she heard keys jangling in the lock. The door opened and Booth walked in. Noting the absence of Parker and the tears in Chris's eyes, he immediately went into panic mode.

"What's going on?"

"Daddy!" Chris said, from her position on Brennan's lap. "Parker called me a brat."

"He did?" Booth replied, looking shocked. "What happened?"

"Parker's upset and then Chris got upset…" she trailed off.

He moved towards the couch quickly and scooped Chris up into his arms. Brennan got up and starting moving down the hall to Parker's room.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To talk to Parker." She replied.

"Maybe I should talk to him."

"I thought we were going to do this together." She said, a hurtful expression in her eyes.

He nodded. "We are…"

"Then I am going to talk to him." She said resolutely.

She knocked softly on Parker's door and then opened it. He was lying face down on his bed.

"Hi Parker." She said, coming into the room and shutting the door. "You….you don't have to say anything, just listen okay?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you and your dad four years ago." She moved closer and sat down, her back pressed against the bed. "I just got scared. You know when are you are so scared of something that all you want to do is run away? That's what happened. I ran away. But it wasn't your fault and I really want you to know that.

And I know it must be weird now that I am back, and I'm not going to pretend that everything is the way it was before because that wouldn't be fair to you or me. But if you wanted, maybe we could be friends again."

She paused and was greeted by stony silence.

"I missed you, you know? I missed our secret talks." She looked again at the unmoving figure on the bed and shook her head. "I love you Parker." She said softly, getting up from her position and moving towards the door.

She opened the door and made her way back down the hall. She saw Chris watching cartoons but Booth was nowhere in sight. Making her way to the kitchen, she saw him putting the box of cookies away in the cupboard.

"Hey."

He turned around. "Parker okay?"

She shrugged. "He's mad at me, but other than that, I think he'll be okay. How was your meeting?"

"Fine. Listen Bones, Parkers' going to take a while to come around."

"I know." She said.

"Do you?" he asked. "Because it wasn't just me and Chris that you hurt when you left us."

"I know that Booth." She replied. "What makes you think I don't know that? And I thought we were going to work together at this."

"We are its just, these are my kids and…" Booth trailed off, realizing his mistake.

"Your kids?" she said. "If you want to be a family again, if you want me to be apart of this, then stop making me feel like an outsider."

"I'm not." Booth protested. "I'm doing everything I can to help you fit in with Chris. It's not my fault you can't handle taking care of them."

"I don't know what to do! I've never done this before, remember?" she said angrily. "I didn't know that Chris didn't like milk or that neither of them wouldn't want to go to the park or that they weren't allowed to watch movies after school." She blinked back the tears that were coming too often these days.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, looking at everything but each other.

"Look, I'm sorry." Booth said. "It's just that I want to protect them."

"I understand that Booth." She replied. "What I don't understand is why you feel the need to protect them from me."

With that, she turned and left the room.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Here is the next chap, I am sooo sorry for the delay. And thank you, thank you to my wonderful reviewers! I really appreciate it! Oh, also forgot to mention, I wrote a oneshot called The Men in Her Life. Check it out if you are interested! **

Booth stood for a moment in shock and then quickly made his way out of the kitchen.

"Wait, Bones!" he shouted as he saw her head for the door.

"What Booth?" she said turning around and placing her hands on her hips.

"That's not what I meant I just….please stay okay? We need to talk about this."

She nodded and followed him back into the kitchen.

"Uh, I was going to make dinner and then I thought we could talk after the kids were in bed, okay?"

"Do you need help?" she asked, relieved that for the moment she didn't have to talk about the whirling mass of emotions she was feeling.

"Sure." He replied, smiling gamely and soon they set off to work. She was in charge of chopping vegetables and she was so concentrated in her task that she didn't hear Parker come into the room.

"Dad?" Parker asked.

They both turned around.

"Hey bub, how was school today?" Booth asked, bypassing any mention of earlier events.

Parker shrugged as he sat down at the kitchen table. "It was okay."

"Did you do anything interesting in science?" Booth asked.

"We learned about the solar system." Parker replied. "Did you know that Pluto's no longer a planet?"

"Well those guys stopped calling it a planet but it still kind of is right?" Booth said.

"The IAU." Brennan interrupted.

"What?" Booth asked.

"The International Astronomical Union. They were the ones who decided that Pluto was too small to be qualified as a planet. But you are right, its still a planet, its just now called a dwarf planet." Brennan said.

"How do you know everything?" Booth teased.

She shrugged and turned back to continue cutting vegetables.

"That's it? Didn't learn anything else important?" Booth asked Parker.

"No, it was boring today. When's dinner, I'm hungry." Parker replied.

"Soon. Why don't you go play with your sister?"

"Don't want to." Parker said stubbornly.

Booth moved away from the chicken he was preparing and sat down at the table across from Parker.

"What's with the attitude bub? Because I'm not really liking it." Booth said.

Parker just crossed his arms in front of his chest and said nothing.

"Well you have two choices. You can go play with Chris or go sit in your room until dinner. Your choice."

"Fine." Parker said, getting up off the chair and heading to the living room.

"Sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Booth asked.

"It's my fault that he's like this." She replied.

"Actually it's my fault. I shouldn't have left the kids with you. I didn't think that there was going to be a problem."

"How about its both of our faults?" she said, smiling.

He got up off the chair and sauntered over to her.

"How about I kiss you right now?" he asked.

She nodded slightly and felt his arms go around her waist.

"I love you." He said. "I just don't want you to forget that in all this other stuff that's happening."

"I won't. I promise." She replied. "I love you too."

Just as his lips touched hers, Chris yelled "Daddy!"

They jumped apart, blushing.

"Later." He said as he made his way out of the kitchen.

She turned back to the food, unsure about what to do next. Grabbing a beer from the fridge, she hoisted herself up on the counter and waited for Booth to return.

She was upset about Parker, she could easily admit that. She wanted so much for them to have a relationship like they used to, although she doubted that was possible now. Her mistake was looming over her head constantly, as if it wasn't allowing her to move on.

Her thoughts turned to Booth. God, she loved that man. Even when her hurt her, she loved him and that scared her most of all.

"Hey you okay?"

She turned and saw Booth standing in the doorway.

"Yes." She nodded. "Starving though."

"Well it won't be long." He replied, heading to the stove to check on the chicken.

And it wasn't. A mere twenty minutes later, they were all seated at the table ready to eat.

She sat and ate her food in silence, watching Booth interact with both Chris and Parker. Parker had started to thaw slightly and had even laughed at a joke Booth told. She loved watching Booth with them, he was such a natural. She felt as if she was constantly hesitating in everything she did.

"Tempe?" Chris said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Can we read a the bone book? Daddy says you know lots and lots about bones!"

"Sure." She replied smiling.

"Wait until Temperance is done eating okay?" Booth said.

"Actually I am done." She said, pushing away from the table.

Chris scampered off to her room as she made her way to the living room couch.

"Here it is!" Chris said, sitting down next to her.

Brennan opened the book and began to read.

"The human body is made up of 206 bones…."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey Parker, we need to talk." Booth said, pushing his plate away.

"About what?" Parker replied.

"You know what." Booth said. "Now come on, let's go talk in your room okay?"

Parker nodded and followed his dad to his bedroom. Once seated on the bed, Booth began.

"Listen Parker, I know this is really confusing having Bones come back after all this time. And she shouldn't have run away in the first place but everyone makes mistakes right?"

"Right." Parker said quietly.

"And it's important to forgive people for their mistakes even if they hurt us." Booth said.

"She just left, Dad. I didn't like that."

"I know. And it's okay to be angry about that, but at some point you need to forgive her. She's here to stay, I promise."

"How do you know?" Parker asked, lying back on the bed. "It's going to be like last time."

"Well, I have faith in her." He replied, mimicking Parker's move. "It's important to have faith in the people you love."

They were silent for a few minutes. Booth could see that Parker was thinking about what he just said.

"Okay Dad." Parker finally said. "I guess I forgive her but only if she stays this time."

Booth nodded. "You know, both you and me need to help her okay? She's never done this mom stuff before but she wants to try."

"Okay dad." Parker replied.

"Alright then." Booth said, feeling proud of how grown up Parker was being. "Listen, do you want to know a secret?"

Parker nodded.

"We bought a house the other day. With a big backyard and everything."

"Really, Dad?" Parker exclaimed, sitting up straight.

"Really." Booth replied. "You will have your own room and you can decorate it any way you like. And there's a pool."

"Are we going to live there? All of us? Dr. Bones too?"

"Yep. Not for a couple of months though." Booth said. "And don't tell Chris okay?"

"Okay." Parker said. "Can I go listen to the book now?"

"Sure." He replied. Parker ran out of the room towards the living room where Brennan and Chris were.

Booth sat on the bed and marvelled at the turn of events. He vowed that things were going to be different. He was going to make sure that Temperance felt welcome in this family.

"Hey."

He looked up and saw Brennan leaning against the doorframe.

"Where are the kids?" he asked.

"Chris was getting bored of the bones book so they are playing some sort of game. I thought I'd come and see where you were."

She came and sat next to him on the bed.

"Listen, Temperance I wanted to apologize about what I said before. They are our kids, I know that. I'm just so used to it being just me and them that its strange you know? And I admit I am having a bit of a hard time adjusting to this. But I never meant to exclude you, I wouldn't do that."

"I know." She replied. "And I didn't mean to snap at you but you have to understand. You're super dad, its automatically guaranteed that anything I do won't stack up. And I don't know what I'm doing, even about the little things."

"You have got to stop thinking like that. I make mistakes too, you know. I'm just good at covering them up. All you need is practice and I promise from now on, I will be there step by step okay?"

"Okay." She said. "About everything else, the sex I mean…"

"I will do whatever you want me to do and wait as long as you want me to." He interrupted.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"But I want you to consider two things for me. I want you to let me work the case and I want you to consider seeing someone about this."

"Like a psychologist?" she asked. "Because it's a soft science…"

"I know." He said. "But think about it okay? It could help with the nightmares."

"I'll let you work the case." She said. "I'll think about the other thing."

He nodded and moved closer to her. "That's all I ask."

He leaned in front of her and peered out the door.

"What?" she said curiously.

"Just making sure the kids were occupied." He replied.

"Why? Does…"

She was cut off by his lips on hers and her hands automatically wrapped around his neck as his gripped her waist.

"I've been wanting to do that all day." He said after they parted.

"Me too." She confessed.

He looked down at his watch. "Time to get the rugrats into bed. C'mon Bones."

They headed into the living room where Parker and Chris were playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos.

"Alright you two, time for bed." Booth said.

"Daddy, my hippo won!" Chris said excitingly.

"Good job." Booth replied, picking her up. "Say goodnight to Parker."

"Night Parker!" Chris said, waving furiously.

"Let's get your pj's on and brush your teeth and then we will say goodnight to Tempe, okay?" Booth said, as they headed down the hall.

"Here, let me help you clean up." She said, sitting on the floor next to Parker. They put the game in the box and sat cross legged in front of each other, neither of them saying a word.

"I have to read my book for homework." Parker said suddenly. "Do you want to hear?"

She nodded and watched as he got his bag and pulled the contents out.

"You have to listen to me and mark down any words I get wrong." Parker said, handing her the journal.

He opened the book and began to read.

Brennan was stunned at the change in his demeanour. She knew Booth must have talked to him, otherwise Parker would still be mad at her. As she listened to Parker read his chapter, she noted that he only made a few mistakes. When he had finished reading and closed the book, she told him so.

"Finished your homework?" Booth said, coming into the living room.

"Yep." Parker replied.

"Okay, pajamas then."

Parker got up and started to head to his bedroom but then turned back.

"Thanks Dr. Bones." He said, giving her a hug. Tears welled in her eyes and she hugged him back tightly. "I'm glad you're back." He whispered into her ear.

She let go and he trotted off to his bedroom. She looked up at Booth in amazement.

"One down, one to go." Booth said. "Chris is waiting for you to tuck her in."

She got up off the couch and as she passed him she touched his chest. "Thank you." She said. He just smiled and watched her go to Chris's room.

When she got in there, Chris was almost asleep. She pulled up the covers and tucked them around her daughter and her stuffed dog.

"G'night Tempe." Chris said sleepily.

She brushed her wavy hair away from her face and kissed her softly on the forehead.

"Goodnight."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: First of all, sorry for the delay! I was on vacation but now I am back! Secondly, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you so much to everyone who reviews. I really appreciate it, it spurs me on. Someone mentioned about Angela and Hodgins situation and whether that was going to be addressed. It's coming up in the next chapters! And thirdly, a big thank you to Ana, who helped edit this chapter! Okay, here we go!**

* * *

When she awoke the next morning, Booth's arms were firmly wrapped around her waist. She smiled into her pillow. What was it about him that made her feel so safe, so loved. This was the way it always was. In his arms she was invincible, their relationship was invincible. But once she moved away, reality sunk in. 

And that made her grip his arms tighter as if that would allow them to stay in their perfect bubble for just a little while longer.

She felt him move slightly and knew he was waking. The clock said 6:10 am. She was usually in the lab by this time or if not, at least checking her emails.

"Hey." He whispered softly into her ear.

"Hey." She replied.

He placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder and began to pull out of their embrace.

"Wait. Please, just a little while longer."

He nodded against her neck and soon they drifted off to sleep once more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Daddy and Tempe sitting in a tree, K I S I NG!"

"There's two S's, Chris. KISSING."

Brennan awoke to the sounds of hushed whispering.

"Oh, okay. Daddy and Tempe sitting in a tree, K I S S I N G!!!"

She opened one eye and saw Chris and Parker at the end of the bed, giggling. She felt Booth shift beside her.

"Oh you think that's funny, do you?" he growled, shooting up and grabbing the kids, tickling them furiously.

"No, Daddy, no!" Chris squealed as Parker evaded his grasp.

She sat up and grabbed him and soon a full blown tickle fight emerged.

Several minutes later, they were all gasping for air.

"Okay guys and girls, time for school soon." Booth said. "Go get your clothes on and we will make breakfast."

Parker and Chris scampered off the bed and ran down the hall giggling.

"Morning." He said, turning to her once they were gone. He placed a soft kiss on her lips.

She smiled despite herself and kissed him back, her heart pounding with desire.

Soon they were locked in a heated embrace and when he pulled away she let out a groan of disappointment.

"Now's not the time." He said. "Besides we should wait until…"

"Until what?" she replied, a bit harsher then she intended . She knew what was coming.

"Until you see someone."

"I'm not seeing a psychologist." She said stubbornly, pulling away from his grasp and swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"Please Temperance." He said, moving beside her. "I want this to be resolved."

"Why? So we can have sex?"

He moved closer and put his arm around her.

"Look at me." He stated.

She kept her head bowed in front of her.

He reached for her and tilted her face until she was looking in his eyes.

"It's not just about the sex." He said adamantly. "It's how you tremble in your sleep. How you looked at me during your panic attack with so much fear in your eyes. I want us to be happy and this is one of the things standing in our way. Please think about it okay?"

She shrugged her shoulders and nodded. Their perfect morning had been tainted by reality once more.

"C'mon, why don't you shower first and I'll make the kids breakfast."

She nodded and headed into the bathroom.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was skimming through all her emails, hoping that Booth would drop by soon with a case. He had mentioned that he was in some big meeting today, but she could still hope right?

It had taken them an hour this morning after the tickle fight to get out of the door, but finally they had dropped Parker off at school and Chris off at daycare. And then he dropped her off at the Jeffersonian and with a quick kiss on the lips, he was off.

She had turned down the Cairo job already and she didn't feel up to writing her next chapter. She was about to head out to start examining a body from limbo when her cell phone rang.

"Brennan."

"Temperance Brennan?"

"Yes?"

"Oh, this is Sarah Mills from Chris's daycare. I couldn't get a hold of Mr. Booth and he had you listed as the next contact. There's been a situation. Chris fell from the jungle gym."

Her heart pounded rapidly and she felt for a brief moment as if she was going to faint. The daycare woman was still rambling on.

"Is she okay?" Brennan interrupted.

"Well she seems to have broken something and they just took her to the hospital."

"Which hospital?" she replied, cradling the phone and she grabbed her keys and purse.

She ignored the shouts of inquiry from Angela and Jack as she hurried out the door.

"George Washington." Sarah replied. "I'm so sorry about this Ms. Brennan."

"Why wasn't anyone watching her?" she nearly shouted, as she started her car.

"Well we were but…"

"But nothing." She said angrily. "This wouldn't have happened if she was being watched. I should go." And with that, she hung up and began to dial Booth's number.

Waiting for him to pick up, she sped along the road to the hospital, dodging cars and driving as fast as she could.

She made it there in under ten minutes, during which time she left Booth two frantic phone calls.

Bursting into the hospital, she headed for the nearest desk.

"My name's Dr. Temperance Brennan, I'm looking for Christine Booth, she's four, she broke something…"

"Paediatrics is on the fourth floor." The nurse replied, pointing to the elevator.

She rushed to the elevator and soon found herself on the fourth floor. After repeated herself once again to the nurse, she was directed to Room 402.

Opening the door, she saw a nurse examining Chris and a worried woman pacing nearby.

"Tempe!" Chris said before bursting into tears.

She rushed forward and scooped her up into a hug, being careful not to jostle her arm, where it was clear the break was.

"Ssshhh…it's okay." She said, stroking Chris's hair.

Chris sobbed and held on to her tighter.

After a few minutes, Chris's sobbing subsided.

"I'm just going over to talk to the nurse okay?" Brennan said.

Chris sniffled and nodded and Brennan made her way over to the nurse.

"May I see her x-rays?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, you're her mother right?" the nurse asked.

"Chris doesn't have a mother." The young woman interjected.

"Yes, she does." Brennan replied fiercely. "I'm it. I'm her mother."

She barely had time to process the implications of saying those words aloud, and in front of Chris no less, when she turned to the young woman.

"You're from the daycare?" she asked.

The woman nodded.

"Why weren't you watching her?" she said vehemently. "How does a little girl fall off a jungle gym? She could have done much worse damage."

"Well, I…" the woman started.

"You know what? I can take it from here. Just go please." Brennan said, pointing to the door.

The woman was taken aback by the fury blazing in Brennan's eyes and just nodded again and left the room quickly.

"I don't feel well." Chris said, causing Brennan to snap back around.

"It's okay, sweetie. It's just the medicine I gave you okay?" the nurse said, standing by Chris's bed. "You go to sleep now."

Chris nodded and turned and looked at Brennan.

"I'll be right here, I promise."

"Where's Mr. Franks?" Chris said sleepily.

Brennan looked around the room. "I think he's still at daycare. I'll get Daddy to get him okay? He's in a meeting, but he'll be here as soon as he finishes."

Chris nodded and shut her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get your name, I'm Nurse Samon but everyone calls me Nurse Patty." Patty said, extending her hand.

"Dr. Temperance Brennan." She replied, shaking Patty's hand.

"Dr. Brennan, very nice to meet you." Patty said. "Now if you'll come with me, I have some paperwork for you to fill out."

"I can't." Brennan said abruptly. "I promised her I would stay here. I can't not be here."

Patty had been in paediatrics for over thirty years. She has seen all types of mothers and fathers and had already surmised from a variety of hints that the woman standing before her was fairly new at this. And was quite determined to keep her promises.

"Okay, I will bring the paperwork in here for you to fill out. The doctor will be in shortly to put the cast on. With children Chris's age, we find it easier to set the bone if they are asleep. She's under a mild anaesthetic right now. Now, why don't you take a seat, you are looking a little pekid. I'll be right back."

Brennan nodded and sat in the chair next to Chris's bed. She felt dizzy and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that would stop the spinning.

Opening them, she turned and looked at Chris. She looked so small in the hospital bed, so vulnerable. Brennan reached out and stroked her hair softly.

The door opened and she turned and saw Patty come in, followed by the doctor.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Rozelle. You must be Dr. Brennan. May I ask what your speciality is?"

"I'm a forensic anthropologist."

"Wait, you write those books right? They are excellent."

"Umm.. thanks." She replied.

"Okay, well what we are going to do is set your daughter's arm and apply a cast. She should be fine, however it will be about six weeks until it can be removed. Patty has all of the paperwork for you to fill out. You should wait out in the hall, setting a bone is uncomfortable to watch…"

"I'm fine, thank you." She said brusquely. She had seen far worse than this.

But as the doctor lifted up Chris's tiny arm, she had to look away. She couldn't watch her being hurt. Eventually she looked back and saw the doctor begin to put the cast on. She let out a sigh of relief as her phone rang.

"Booth?"

"Bren, it's Angela, what's going on?"

"I'm at the hospital." She replied. "Chris fell and broke her arm and I can't get a hold of Booth." She moved out into the hallway, clutching the paperwork that Patty had given her. She sat down on one of the hard, plastic chairs.

"Is she okay?" Angela asked.

"Yes, she's asleep right now and the doctor is putting her cast on."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm…" she replied, unable to finish the sentence. She was overwhelmed, that's how she felt. "I don't know how to answer these questions. The ones on the form. I don't know her height and weight or what she's allergic too…."

"I'll be right there. What hospital?" Angela said.

"George Washington. And….thanks Ange." She ended the call and immediately dialled Booth's number.

"Booth, it's me. Chris is okay, she just broke her arm but they are asking me to fill out all of this paperwork and I don't know the answers and I said something and I'm just…" She paused, blinking back the tears. "I need you to come. Please."

She hung up the phone and took a deep breath, stood up and headed back into the room.

She watched as the doctor finished putting a cast on Chris who was still asleep.

"I will be back to check on her in a few hours." He said, as he made his way out of the room.

She nodded and sunk down into the chair.

"How's that paperwork coming?" Patty asked.

"I'm sorry, I can't…" she replied. "It's a long story but I don't know the answer to these questions. I don't know her height or her weight or her favourite food or anything."

"Okay." Patty said, squeezing her shoulder. "It's okay."

Brennan didn't know why she was confiding to this stranger.

"I thought I lost her again." She whispered.

Patty nodded sympathetically. "She'll be fine. She's a brave little girl. Now is there someone that I can contact who would know this information?"

"Booth….her father's in a meeting right now. I just called and left a message."

"Okay." Patty said. "Well why don't you sit right here. Chris should be waking up soon and having you here will definitely make her feel more comfortable. She's going to be groggy from the medication but she will probably be hungry, so come get me and I will get her some food."

Brennan nodded and turned back to Chris as Patty left the room. She moved the chair closer and stroked her hair softly.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry." A tear ran down her cheek and she squeezed Chris's tiny hand.

She knew Chris was fine. It was only a broken arm. The logical side of her told her that the break hadn't been bad and after about eight weeks she should be back to new. But right now she felt that until she was out of the hospital, the sinking feeling in her stomach would not leave.

After a few minutes, she saw Chris shift a little. She held her breath and watched as the little girl slowly opened her eyes.

"Daddy?" she asked.

"No, Daddy's not here, it's Tempe. How are you feeling?"

"Hungry." Chris replied, causing Brennan to crack a tiny smile.

"Alright. I will get Nurse Patty to get you something okay?" Brennan started to stand up.

"Tempe?" Chris asked plaintively.

"Yes?"

"Are you my mommy?"

Brennan drew in a sharp breath and her fists clenched. Her heart began pounding rapidly. 'Breathe.' She thought to herself. 'In. Out. In. Out.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth ran into the hospital and headed straight for the elevator. He had received all of Brennan's messages and despite knowing that Chris was okay, he was still out of his mind with worry. He moved faster down the hall and bumped into a woman.

"Sorry…I…Angela?"

"Booth! Thank god you're here. Brennan called and said something about Chris breaking her arm. She sounded frantic."

They stepped into the elevator together and Booth pressed four.

"I was in a meeting so I missed the daycare's call." He said. "What I don't understand is why no one was watching her. How can a little girl just fall off the jungle gym?"

Angela noted Booth's clenched fists and his anxious pace.

"Booth, you need to calm down." She said.

"What?" he asked.

"If you go marching in there all upset you are going to make Chris more upset."

He nodded. Angela was right. He took a deep breath and exhaled as the elevator doors opened. They made their way down to 402 where they heard voices inside. He forced himself to remain calm and then opened the door slightly. But what he heard next caused both him and Angela to stop in their tracks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yes. Yes I am your mother." Brennan said, a tear falling down her cheek. She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I'm sorry, a long time ago I thought I didn't want…..I mean…."

How could she explain this to a four year old?

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." She said, staring into her daughter's round, brown eyes.

"It's okay, Tempe." Chris said, seeing the tears. "You can still be my mommy."

And then her little arms came up and Brennan pulled her into a gentle hug, tears now unabashedly gracing her cheeks.

"It's what I wished for." The little girl whispered into her ear.

"It's what I wished for too."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey Everyone! Sorry for the huge delay in this chap. Basically after Brennan revealed to Chris that she was her mother in the last chap (something I wasn't expecting to happen for a while!) I got struck with writer's block. Add some insomnia on top of that and that's why its been a week and a half! Plus I've been involved in my new craft project, Bones Magnetic poetry! This chap is pretty short and its just a filler, but I felt it was appropriate to end where I did! Enough of my blathering! I hope you like it! **

Booth's breath caught in his throat as he listened to the conversation between mother and daughter. Angela was gripping his arm and when he looked over, he saw tears in her eyes. He smiled and then knocked softly on the door as he opened it.

She looked up and instantly knew from the look in his face that he overheard their conversation.

"Daddy!" Chris shouted.

"Hey Pumpkin!" he choked out, heading over to the bed and embracing her gently.

"Look at my pink cast!" Chris said excitedly. "I feel and it hurt but I was very brave, right Mommy?"

Both Booth and Brennan froze. They stared at each other in shock and then broke into identical grins. It was pure joy to hear Chris say that.

Brennan recovered first.

"Yes you were. Very brave." She said. Brennan looked down at the clipboard in her hand. "You need to fill out this paperwork."

"Let's do it together." Booth said, trying not to let his emotions overcome him.

"I'll watch her." Angela said. They both nodded and made their way out of the room.

Once the hospital room door closed, they were in each other's arms.

"I was so scared." She confessed.

"Me too." He replied. "If you weren't there, I don't know what I would have done. Thank you." He pressed a kiss into her hair and they pulled apart and sat down side by side.

"Here." He said, handing her the clipboard. "You fill it out and I'll give you the answers."

She smiled at him, knowing he was giving her the opportunity to learn more about Chris. She looked down at the form.

'Name.'

It suddenly occurred to her that she didn't know Chris's middle name. Her shoulders slumped and she was about to protest when Booth interrupted.

"It's Joy." He said. "And look at me, it doesn't matter to her that you don't know this stuff. And it doesn't matter to me. You heard her, it what's she wished for." He reached over and squeezed her hand.

Seeing the look of pure love in his eyes, she couldn't help but blurt out her next words. "I love you."

He smiled, that soft, gentle smile of his that always made her feel like she was being bathed in sunlight. "I love you too." He squeezed her hand again. "Now let's fill out these forms before they get mad at us."

And they went through the questions one by one, until Brennan felt satisfied that she knew her daughter a bit better. After giving the forms back to Patty, they made their way back inside the room. Angela was sitting in the chair, watching Chris sleep.

"She fell asleep again?" Booth asked.

Angela nodded. "Just a little while ago."

"Thanks for coming Ange." Brennan said softly.

"No problem." Angela replied. "Why don't I head down to the cafeteria and get something for you guys?"

"Sure." She said.

Angela made her way out of the room and Brennan and Booth took up position in the chairs beside Chris's bed.

"So what happens now?" Brennan asked.

"We should be able to take Chris home this afternoon and then I suggest a quiet evening."

She nodded and they were silent for a few more minutes.

"Seeley?" she asked. "I want to…I mean you're right I…."

"What?" he said, seeing the worried look in her eyes.

"I want to make this better. I want to be there for you and Chris and if that means that I have to go see a psychologist then I will do it."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Temperance. You know I'm only suggesting this because I think it will help you."

"What if it doesn't?" she whispered, finally confessing her true worry. Maybe she was so broken that no one could fix her.

"Then we will try something else." He said resolutely. "We will try and try until things get better, I promise. Besides, things are already getting better. Look at us, we bought a house together, you told Chris that you're her mom. We are working through all of our problems. I think we are going to be just fine."

She leaned her head against his shoulder in response, and they sat there waiting for their daughter to wake up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Four days later, Brennan sat in her car, unable to move. She was just about to put her keys back in the ignition and drive away when her phone rang.

"Brennan."

"You can do this." Booth said immediately. "I know you can."

She looked out her window at the building beside her, the one that housed her soon to be psychologist.

She sighed. "Booth, I…"

"Come one." He encouraged. "Unbuckle your seatbelt and get out of the car."

She did what he said and made her way to the front of the building.

"Maybe I should just see Dr. Wyatt."

"Gordon Gordon recommended her remember?" Booth said. "He said that she would be able to help you the best."

She nodded, although Booth couldn't see her, and made her way up the steps of the building and inside.

"Okay, I'm going to go now." Booth said. "But I just wanted to tell you that I love you and you can do this."

"I love you too."

She snapped the phone shut and made her way upstairs.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm so, so, sorry for the delay! I feel really bad, I hope there are people out there still reading this! And thanks to everyone who left me a review, I really appreciate it!**

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She entered the office and announced her presence to the receptionist and then took a seat in one of the plush chairs. There was a hole in the pit of her stomach and she was wringing her hands nervously. She was never really good at talking about her feelings, even to Booth.

The door opened and a woman walked out, wiping tears away from her face. She immediately tensed up and was about to stand up and walk out when her name was called.

"Temperance Brennan." The receptionist repeated.

"It's Dr. Temperance Brennan." She said automatically.

"Oh, well Dr. Landry will see you now."

She took a deep breath and walked into the office. Sitting on a chair was a tall, dark haired woman who she assumed was Dr. Landry.

"Dr. Brennan?" Dr. Landry inquired.

She nodded.

"Come in and take a seat."

Brennan did so and faced Dr. Landry with an intense stare.

"Dr. Wyatt told me you didn't like psychology, may I ask why you are here?" Dr. Landry asked. It was clear this woman pulled no punches.

"Well, because….Booth wanted me to and…"

"If you're here for someone else, I don't think that's a good enough reason."

"No," Brennan said forcefully. "I'm here for me. I want to make it better."

"Okay then." Dr. Landry said, giving her a small smile. "Now let's talk specifically about why you are here. Start from the beginning."

"I…" Brennan started. She wringed her hands nervously. "I'm not really comfortable…"

"I understand. But in order for me to help you we need to talk this out. You know what, let's start somewhere different. Tell me about your job."

"Well I work at the Jeffersonian Institute. I'm a forensic anthropologist, I help identify human remains from all over the world. I also do work for the FBI."

"Is this where you met Booth?" Dr. Landry asked.

"How do you know about Booth?" Brennan replied. "Because I thought there was a doctor-patient confidentiality thing and logically…"

"Calm down Dr. Brennan. Doctor Wyatt just told me that you and Agent Booth worked together and that you were involved personally as well. He also happened to mention that you hate psychology. Other than that, his lips were sealed."

"It's a soft science." She muttered. "And if you knew Booth and I worked together why did you ask?"

"I wanted to hear it from your perspective." Dr. Landry said. "Now continue."

"I became his partner and we work cases together."

"How did you get involved romantically?"

Brennan smiled softly. "We were working on a case and eating dinner. He just turned and looked at me and asked me if he could kiss me. And he did. We decided to have a relationship despite our differences."

"It sounds like you love him very much." Dr. Landry said warmly. "Something happened though, am I right?"

"I got pregnant." Brennan replied. "And then…I never wanted children and Booth was so excited and when he found out I wasn't, I just felt like the baby would be better off with him."

"I can understand that." Dr. Landry said. "To be suddenly faced with this decision, a complete shift in the way you were thinking would be overwhelming."

Brennan nodded. "I continued throughout the pregnancy and then gave Chris to Booth for him to take care of. I didn't….it was a mistake…"

"Okay let's stop for a moment." Dr. Landry said. "You gave up your baby how many years ago?"

"Four." Brennan said quietly.

"And am I to assume that you have starting having a relationship with Booth and your daughter again."

Brennan nodded.

"Yet you still feel guilty about what you did."

"It was a mistake…" Brennan started.

"Yes perhaps." Dr. Landry replied. "But there's nothing you can do about it now, am I right?"

"Well I guess but.."

"Look Temperance, if you continue to feel guilty about your choice, you won't be able to move forward. It was a choice, not a mistake, it was what you needed to do at the time. Yes there are repercussions but those you should be able to handle. Being burdened down with guilt is not going to help you get past it."

"Easier said than done." Brennan muttered.

"I agree." Dr. Landry said.

"I'm…." Brennan paused. "I'm reminded all the time. Every song I don't know how to sing or game I don't know how to play. Every time I see Booth with Chris….I mean I can't even take care of her properly." She said, thinking back to her disastrous afternoon with Parker and Chris.

"Those are things that you can learn. Being a mother is something that is in you, I know it and I haven't even seen you interact with your daughter. Parenting does not mean perfection. It's about making mistakes and muddling through them. If you have your daughter's best interests at heart then the rest will fall in place, believe me. I have made so many mistakes with my daughters, I will fill a book if I wrote them down. But it doesn't matter." Dr. Landry said.

Brennan nodded in response but she didn't feel very comforted inside. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"I know there's more to cover but I think we should finish it here for now, give you some time to think about what we've said. And I have something for you." Dr. Landry said, handing her a black notebook. "I want you to write in this as much or as little as you want. Write all your feelings as they come during this week and all I ask is that you be completely honest with yourself. I'm not going to read it if you don't want me to, it's just for you. Well I think we're done. That wasn't too hard was it?"

Brennan sighed. "Yeah, I mean, it was…"

Dr. Landry laughed. "I understand. Walking in the front door was a big step for you. I hope to see you next week, this time okay?"

"Sure." Brennan said, getting up off her chair and moving towards the door.

"And Dr. Brennan?" Dr. Landry said. "These things take time. Don't expect miracles right away."

"Thank you." She replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She stared at the skeleton in front of her and felt her body ease, her previous discomfort seeping from her. She smiled as she tried to figure out the puzzle of this man's death. Here she felt useful, needed even.

She was working steadily away when he came in looking for her. She hadn't called after her appointment and after waiting for 45 minutes for dinner with her, he packed up Chris and took her to Wong Foo's where Sid was currently watching her.

He had once joked that she was only truly happy when she was with her bones. In reality, this frightened him. The thought that he couldn't be the one to make her completely happy.

"Hey." He said softly, swiping his card as he made his way up to her table.

"Hey." She replied, never taking her eyes from the skeleton.

"I called and you didn't answer."

"I was busy."

"Well are you ready for dinner?" he asked. "Because Chris is at Wong Foo's with Sid right now."

"I'm not hungry." She said. "Why don't you go without me tonight?"

He nodded. "Okay, well I will see you at home okay?"

"Actually," she said, finally lifting her head. "I think I'm going to stay in my apartment tonight."

"Temperance…"

"I just want to be by myself tonight." She interrupted. "It's not a big deal, I promise. I just need some time. I'll come by in the morning to say goodbye to Chris before she goes to school."

He moved closer to her, reaching up and running his hand through her hair.

"Okay." He said softly. He pressed a soft kiss on her lips and moved away.

"Okay." She replied, watching him turn and head out the door.

She turned back to the skeleton and continued to work steadily into the night.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: First of all, a huge thank you to my readers and my reviewers! 158 reviews and 18,000 hits is pretty impressive! So thank you so much! I love that alot of the reviews talk about what they liked and didn't like about the character's actions. It definately helps me for future chapters! So here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy. I had the first paragraph and the last paragraph in my head but the rest just came out of nowhere!**

He heard the key in the lock but didn't move a muscle. Looking over at the alarm clock he realized it was a little early for her. The last two weeks had been the same, ever since the day she began her therapy. She was there the next day to see Chris after school and after work she would come and have dinner with them and play with Chris, but she would always leave after Chris had gone to bed.

They hadn't kissed, had barely touched even and he didn't know why. He had asked her time and time again but she refused to tell him. Just shut up inside herself. They worked on a case and pretended everything was normal even though everyone could see it wasn't.

He lay there breathing quietly, trying to anticipate her next move. She would usually sit at the table waiting for them to get up. He was so lost in his thoughts that he was startled when he felt the bed sink a little. He cracked one eye open and saw her slip under the covers.

"Temperance." He said softly.

She jerked slightly, not realizing that he was awake.

"I….I…" she said. "I just need to….please?"

He nodded and she moved closer to him, resting her head on his chest. He reached up and rubbed his eyes with his hand as if she was a mirage. Finally, when he convinced himself that she was real, he threaded his fingers through her auburn locks and let out a sigh of relief.

He wanted to stay awake, to drink in the sight of her like this, so calm and at peace, but he felt himself drifting away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She awoke to see Chris sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at them.

"Hi Mommy!" Chris said.

"Hey Chris." She said sleepily. "What's going on?"

"I waited for a long, long time. Now are you going to wake up?"

Brennan blinked again and then looked over at the alarm clock. It flashed 9:15. She shot straight up.

"Booth, Booth wake up."

He opened his eyes. "What?" he asked.

"It's quarter after nine, we're late!" she said, scrambling out of bed.

"Okay." He replied. "You take care of Chris, I will take a quick shower and then we will switch okay?"

She nodded, leading the little girl out of the room.

"What do you want to eat?" she asked.

"Toast!" Chris said, climbing up onto her chair.

Brennan nodded and grabbed her cellphone out of her bag that she left on the couch and called the daycare.

"Hi, this is Dr. Temperance Brennan. Chris is going to be late today. Thank you."

She hung up the phone and put some bread in the toaster, tapping her foot impatiently. She ran through the list of things she had to do in her head while she waited.

"Mommy?" Chris asked.

"Yes?"

"I don't want to go to daycare." Chris said, pouting and crossing her arms.

"How come?" she asked.

"I just don't wanna!" Chris said.

Brennan kneeled down beside her chair and brushed a lock out of Chris's face.

"Why don't you want to go, Chris?" she asked softly.

Chris sniffled. "Maribelle said my pink cast was ugly and my arm hurts and I don't feel well." Two fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

Brennan placed her hand on Chris's forehead.

"Well you are a little warm." She said, pulling the little girl into a hug.

"Please don't make me go. I don't wanna go." Chris said, beginning to sob.

And that's how Booth found them when he came out of the shower.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Chris isn't feeling well." She replied.

He walked over and put his hand on her forehead. "She's not that warm." He said.

"Well what do you want to do?"

"I can't take her." He replied. "I have a meeting this morning, but I should have time this afternoon."

"I can stay home with her." She said. "I need to finish up the paperwork for the lab but the rest can wait until tomorrow."

"Really?" he asked.

"Really?" she replied firmly.

"Chris, stay here for a moment while Mommy and Daddy talk okay?" Booth said.

Brennan looked bewildered as she found herself being dragged into the bedroom.

"Booth, what?" she asked.

He didn't respond, just pulled her to his chest and hugged her tightly.

"I missed this." He whispered into her ear. "I wish you would let me in and tell me what's going on but if you can't that's okay. It's just, this morning made me realize how much I missed this."

"I'm sorry." She replied, hugging him back just as fiercely.

"Don't be." He replied. "We're getting through this." He pulled back and looked at her. "But can I ask a question? Is Dr. Landry helping?"

She nodded. "I guess so. I mean, its just a lot to handle right now."

"I understand. Well I should go to work, are you going to be okay with her?"

"I'll be fine. I will call if there are any problems."

"Okay." He said. "Listen, do you think, I mean, can I kiss you now?"

The love and concern in his eyes made her heart leap and she nodded, letting him lean in and kiss her softly.

They headed back into the kitchen only to find Chris sound asleep at the table.

"Okay well I will see you later." He said, going over and kissing Chris softly on the cheek.

"Bye." She replied.

She looked over at her sleeping daughter and thought about what Dr. Landry had said about taking more responsibility for Chris. She hoped the Doctor was right in saying that it would make her more comfortable being a mother.

She slowly lifted Chris into her arms and trudged down the hallway to her bedroom. Tucking her in, she turned to leave when Chris's plaintive little voice stopped her.

"Mommy?" she said. "I don't feel good."

Brennan barely had time to turn around before Chris was throwing up all over the bed. She waited until she was finished and then picked her up, whispering words into Chris's ear as she carried her to the bathroom.

She ran the bath and undressed Chris, sitting her in the tub while she went and cleaned up the mess. Grabbing her phone, she called the daycare and the Jeffersonian while she stripped the sheets on the bed and took everything to the laundry room. Once she did that, she headed back to the bathroom. Chris was sitting quietly in the tub.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, placing her hand on Chris's forehead. She was definitely feeling a little more warm.

"I don't feel good, Mommy." Chris replied forlornly.

"Okay, well let's get you cleaned up and then we will put your comfy pajamas on and you can watch some cartoons okay?"

Chris nodded and Brennan proceeded to get her clean. As she helped Chris out of the tub, she could hear the phone ringing.

'I'll get it later.' She thought to herself as she wrapped a big, fluffy towel around Chris. Picking her up, she carried her to the couch and lay her down while she went in search of pajamas.

The phone rang again and she picked it up this time.

"Brennan."

"Bren, where are you?" Angela's frantic voice came over the line.

"I'm at home, Chris is sick. I called Zach, he should have told you."

"I'm not at work, I had an appointment. Can I come over, I really need to talk to you."

"Absolutely." She replied.

"Okay, I'm on my way right now." Angela said.

She snapped the phone shut and looked over to the couch, where Chris was fast asleep. Getting her pajamas, she carried her into Booth's bedroom where she dressed her and tucked her in under the covers. She thought about calling Booth, but decided against it. So far she could handle this.

She heard knocking on the door and made her way out of the bedroom. She opened the door and found Angela standing there. Her eyes were puffy and it was obvious that she had been crying. She looked nervous and anxious and frankly, not like Angela at all.

"Angela, what is it? What's wrong?"

Angela just shook her head, coming inside. Brennan shut the door and turned to look at her.

"Angela, please." She said. She was feeling scared for her friend, something must be seriously wrong.

Angela took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I'm pregnant." She said softly.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Finally! Here's the next chapter! I've been busy looking for a new job plus I created a message board for Bones fans! If you are interested, the link is in my profile! Anyway, thank you so much to everyone who is sticking with this story! I truly appreciate it!**

"Oh Ange." Brennan said softly.

"I don't know what to do." Angela replied, flopping down on the couch. "I should be happy right?"

"Ange…" she started.

"I mean what kind of mother doesn't want her own child?"

She cringed at Angela's words.

"I mean I…" Angela stopped upon seeing her friend's face. "Oh Bren, I didn't mean it like that. I was just…"

"It's okay." She interrupted.

"No it's not." Angela replied. "I'm so sorry."

Seeing Angela's distressed look, she did the only thing she though would make Angela feel better. She lied.

"Really, Ange, it's okay." She said, squeezing her hand. "Have you told Hodgins' yet?"

"I can't" Angela said wildly. "You remember how he was last time? He was devastated. What if it happens again?'

"It might not." Se replied feebly.

"Three times, Bren. Three in four years is a lot." Angela began to cry.

Brennan immediately moved closer and put her arms around her. She let Angela cry onto her shoulder has her mind went into overdrive, wondering for the millionth time why she had gotten pregnant and Angela hadn't.

"I'm sorry to put this all on you; you have enough to worry about." Angela said, her words muffled by tears.

"Angela, that's what friends are for right?" she replied. "Besides it gives me a break from my own problems." She smiled lightly and earned a small smile from Angela in return. "How about a cup of tea?"

Angela nodded and she rose to the kitchen and turned the kettle on. It was only then, when she was out of sight, that she expelled her breath and gripped the countertops tightly. Angela's words kept running through her head, over and over. 'What kind of mother doesn't want her own child?'

The words didn't hurt as much as the feeling behind them. Despite her protestations, Angela believed that. She steadied herself and waited for the water to boil. Angela need her; now was not the time to be stressing out about her own issues.

For a brief moment, she wanted Booth there. He would know what to say to Angela, would make all the right moves. She, on the other hand, didn't know how to ease her friends' pain.

The kettle boiled and she poured the water into the teapot, opening the cupboard and reaching for two mugs. After making the tea the way Angela liked it, she headed back into the living room only to find Angela sound asleep on the couch.

"Mommy?"

She turned and saw Chris standing there, rubbing her eyes blearily.

She set down the cups and moved towards her.

"Are you okay Chris?"

Chris shrugged. "I still don't feel well."

"Okay, well let's check your temperature and get you something to eat, okay?"

Chris nodded and held out her arms.

She scooped her up and Chris immediately snuggled into her. Heading into the bathroom to get the thermometer, she pushed away the words running through her head. She couldn't think about that, not wanting her, while Chris was in her arms.

Sitting Chris down on the counter, she pulled out the thermometer and placed it in Chris's mouth. She put her hand on her forehead and knew she was still feverish. Checking the temperature, she confirmed her diagnosis.

"How about some food?" She picked Chris up and after a brief stop in the living room to see if Angela was still sleeping, they made their way to the kitchen.

Then she was faced with a conundrum. She had no idea what to feed a sick child. She assumed there were certain foods that were better than others, but she didn't know what they were.

"What do you feel like eating?"

"I don't know." Chris replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

She looked in the cupboards but none of the food seemed appropriate. Glancing on the counter, she saw the phone.

'Call him.' She thought to herself. 'No. I said I could do this by myself.'

Staring at the phone, she had an idea. She picked it up and dialled, waiting for the person to respond.

"Hi Rebecca, its Tempe. I was wondering if I could ask you a question….."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

20 minutes later, Chris was sitting in the bedroom watching cartoons and eating broth while Rebecca and Brennan talked softly at the kitchen table.

"Thank you so much." She said. "I didn't know what to give her and I didn't want to call Booth because….well I just didn't want to call him."

"Well you can call me anytime." Rebecca replied. "I mean it. I know how difficult it can be, especially if you're doubting yourself."

Brennan's head snapped up. "How do you…."

"Because every parent does it. Even Seeley." Rebecca noted the look of disbelief on Brennan's face. "Look just because Seeley pretends to be smooth at the parenting thing, it doesn't mean he is. He's just had more practice than you."

She nodded and began to fiddle with her teacup.

"Is…is Angela alright?" Rebecca asked. "I don't mean to pry but…"

"She's pregnant." Brennan replied, unsure of whether she should be revealing this. "And she's had a few miscarriages."

Rebecca nodded sympathetically.

"And she said something…" Soon Brennan was spilling the whole story, what Angela had said and how she was feeling about Chris, even the situation between her and Booth.

She hastily brushed away a few tears. "I'm sorry, this is..."

"I almost gave up Parker." Rebecca cut in.

"What?"

"I was going to have an abortion, I didn't want a child, I thought I wouldn't be able to handle it. I know that feeling Tempe."

"But you went through with it." She stated.

Rebecca nodded. "I changed my mind but for a long time I felt guilty about what I almost did."

"I know the feeling." She muttered.

"I don't think you made a mistake." Rebecca said. "You did what was best for you at the time. So did I. Can you imagine if I had said yes to Seeley when he asked me to marry him? It would have been disastrous. Don't think that you are less deserving of her love now because you quote, unquote 'gave that up' four years ago?"

"I don't know." She replied.

"I can understand that." Rebecca said. "Just don't let it get in the way of what's happening now. I know it's like a pot calling the kettle black, I mean it took me a long time to put Seeley and I's past behind me. And it cost me a lot."

Brennan nodded.

"I'll be right back, let me just go check on Angela and Chris."

She tiptoed first into the living room, where Angela was still sound asleep, tear tracks on her face. Moving into the bedroom, she found Chris also asleep, her bowl clutched tightly in her hands. She put it on the bedside table and tucked her in under the covers. As she stroked her cheek, she heard the front door open.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first thing Booth noticed was the presence of Angela, sound asleep on the couch. Shaking his head, he moved into the kitchen to find Temperance only to come across his ex sitting at the kitchen table.

"Rebecca, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Brennan walked into the kitchen with the soup bowl in her hands.

"Oh you know, just a little Mom stuff, right Tempe?"

She realized that Rebecca was giving her an out so she wouldn't have to explain to Booth the real reason she was there. "That's right." She replied, putting the bowl in the sink.

"Anyway, I should go." Rebecca said, getting up. "Thanks for the tea, Tempe."

"Anytime." She replied, smiling warmly.

Rebecca headed out, leaving the two of them alone.

"So what's going on?" Booth asked.

"Chris has a fever and she's been sleeping a lot but I gave her some broth a little while ago. Angela's upset because, well, she's pregnant, so we talked and she fell asleep."

"Oh, I can't believe that." he said.

"Yeah me neither." She replied. "But I think she'll be okay, she's tough after all and she has Hodgins."

"What about you?" he asked. "How are you today?"

She paused for a moment, mulling over her answer.

"I'm okay." She replied. "I think I'm really okay."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews, I appreciate it so much! Everyone's comments spur me on for the next chapter! We are about five or six chaps away from the end!**

A week had gone by, and everything had been surprisingly harmonious. Brennan had stayed over at Booth's all week and they were slowly getting into a routine.

On Tuesday, at Dr. Landry's request, Booth came to therapy with Brennan. They delved into everything during the two hour session and laid their feelings bare. Booth admitted to being overprotective of Chris and sometimes wary of Brennan's attempts to parent. Brennan on the other hand, revealed her feelings of inadequacy when it came to Chris and they both confessed to feeling a little frustrated with their sexual situation. It was exhausting but at the end Brennan felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest.

Chris was getting over her fever but she was still a little sick. Brennan had stayed home with her most of the week, getting her work done via email when Chris was sleeping.

Angela still hadn't told Hodgins and Brennan was worried at the dark circles under Angela's eyes but chose not to push the matter. She knew Angela would tell him soon.

Currently Brennan sat in her office working on paperwork for their latest case. She checked her watch and realized that Booth was 20 minutes late for their lunch date.

"Knock, knock."

She looked up and saw Angela at the door.

"Hey Ange, you okay?"

Angela shrugged wearily and headed over to the couch and sat down. She stopped typing and moved to the couch beside her.

"Jack keeps asking me what's wrong." Angela said worriedly.

"The right thing for me to say would be to tell him but when I found out I was pregnant, I didn't tell Booth for almost three weeks. I think the main thing is that you are going to have to tell him eventually."

"How did Booth take it?" Angela asked.

"He was excited." She replied. "Until he found out I wasn't."

"I'm sorry I should be asking you about this."

"No, it's okay." She said. "I was scared Angela. From the moment I found out. Scared about what Booth would say, about whether she would be healthy, about whether I could be a mother." She paused, her voice thick with tears. Reaching over, she grabbed Angela's hand. "But if I can do it, you definitely can. You will be a fantastic mother."

Angela hugged her tightly. "Just like you. You are a fantastic mother. Don't let anyone tell you different." Angela whispered into her ear.

"Thanks Ange." She replied.

"Ahem…."

They broke apart and saw Booth and Hodgins at the door.

"You two okay?" Booth inquired.

"Oh yeah, um…..girl stuff." She replied.

"Yeah, girl stuff." Angela echoed. "Umm, Jack are you interesting in lunch?"

"Just what I was coming to ask you." Hodgins replied.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off?" Brennan said. "You've been working really hard. Tell Zach too."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ange, go home."

Angela nodded and they made their way out of the office.

"Well that was nice of you." Booth said, flopping down on the couch next to her. "What about you? The boss doesn't get a break?"

"I was home all week with Chris, remember?" she replied, noting the file folder in his hands. "Do we have a case?"

"Um…well…" he stumbled. "It's your case."

Her body immediately tensed up.

"I need you to look at a picture and tell me if this was your attacker."

She nodded, barely feeling his hand slip into hers as she focused on the brown file folder he'd placed on the table.

He opened the file and there he was, staring up at her, a sneer on his face. Bile rose in her throat and she swallowed fast to keep it down. Her heart pounded and she couldn't tear her eyes away from the picture.

"_No one to save you now, Princess." He sneered as he smacked her hard against the face. _

_She screamed as white-hot pain burst through her. She was no longer sure where the pain was coming from; it was a constant throbbing that kept in time with the beating of her heart._

_After days and days of fighting, she couldn't anymore. Her arms lay limp against the chains, no longer struggling to break free. Her legs no longer kicking furiously and her heart, once whole, now ripped apart._

"Temperance." Booth said, grabbing her shoulders and trying to move her way from the picture. Only when he reached out and shoved it back into the case file did she seem to snap out of it.

There was silence for a moment and then in a single movement, she turned and buried herself into his chest, her body shaking with silent sobs.

"Sshh, I've got you." He whispered, stroking her hair as he rubbed her back softly.

She continued to shake, a toneless wail finally erupting from her. And then another. And another, until Booth became worried that she was making herself sick. Her fingers were gripped onto his shirt, so tightly that he could feel her fingernails digging into his back.

Booth felt his anger bubble up within him. He was going to go after this guy; he didn't care that he was already in prison. He deserved worse for what he did to her.

They sat like that for a long time, the soft hum of the computer the only sound in the office. He looked down and found her looking at him, her red rimmed eyes full of sadness.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"No!" he said loudly, startling them both. "Don't be sorry for this, its not your fault. Please."

She nodded and a lone tear made its way down her cheek. He reached over and brushed it away and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

"I love you Bones."

She smiled then, a gentle one that reassured him that they could get through this.

"Love you too."

Shifting, he leaned back against the couch and soon they were both sound asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Sadly, I think there may be only one or two more! We shall see! Thanks for the reviews!!! **

"Temperance." Booth said, softly shaking her.

She heard a voice but she was too comfortable to listen to it. She was in a grassy field, lying on her back, watching the puffy clouds go by. He was there beside her, holding her hand as her fingers curled into the soft grass. She could hear children laughing over the hill and when she turned to face him, he smiled. That smile that always made her body hum with delight.

"Temperance." He said, still gazing in her eyes.

"Temperance."

She blinked and woke up to find Booth staring at her.

"Hi." He said. "What were you dreaming about?"

"You." She said simply. She sat up and stretched her arms over her head. "I should get back to work."

Booth nodded. "I should go too." He replied, snatching the file off the desk.

She saw a look of steely determination in his eyes.

"No." she said immediately.

"What?"

"Don't go after him."

"Temperance, I can't not do anything." He said. "Not after what he did to you. Even if he's in jail. Besides you need to press charges and…"

"No." she said firmly. "I'm not doing that." She grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly. "I need you to understand. I want this to be over, I want to stop thinking about it and dreaming about it. I know I won't forget what happened but I want to move on. I want US to move on. Knowing that he can't hurt me anymore…"

"I will never let anything happen to you." He said resolutely.

"I know you won't. And I get your need for closure but don't do this. For me, please?"

The desperate look in her eyes softened him and he nodded.

"Okay but when this is bothering you, you need to talk to me or Dr. Landry, okay?"

She nodded. "I promise."

"I have other news, good news I think. They finally accepted our offere on the house and we can move in within three weeks if we like."

"Three weeks?" she exclaimed. "We can't pack everything in three weeks. Plus, the painting and other redecorating…"

"I know it will be tight. But we might as well move in sooner than later, right? Besides we could be in the house right in time for the kids to go trick or treating around the new neighbourhood."

"I suppose." She replied. "We're going to need help though. We can enlist Angela and the guys and we will have to give notice to our landlords immediately."

"I can do that." He said. "Why don't we call the agent and go sign the papers, then pick up the kids and head to Wong Foo's for dinner?"

"Sounds good to me." She replied.

"Hmm…Temperance Brennan leaving work voluntarily? What sort of parallel universe am I in?"

She smacked him on the arm. "I can stay if you like."

"No we should go." He said, standing up and pulling her along to the doorway.

"Hold on, let me get my stuff." She replied, wiggling out of his grasp.

He waited patiently as she checked her email one last time, filed some files and finally shut down her computer.

"C'mon." he said, grabbing her hand.

"Why are you in such a rush?" she asked.

"I'm excited about the house." He replied. "It will be good to have a place that's new and all ours. A fresh start, so to speak."

She nodded in agreement as they headed out of the Jeffersonian. A place of their own. Maybe it would be what they needed to help alleviate their problems. She finally felt ready to move on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She looked at the scene unfolding in front of her and couldn't help but laugh. She had left an hour ago with a strict entreaty that at least ten boxes had to be packed.

Instead she found herself in front of a large box fort, complete with windows and grass, courtesy of the bubble wrap. Whispers were coming from behind one of the walls.

"Ahem." She said, putting her hands on her hips.

Three sets of very guilty eyes peered over the fort.

"So…" Booth said.

"Do you like the fort Mommy?" Chris piped up.

As she surveyed it, she couldn't help but smile again. "It's very nice." She replied. "I brought ice cream, but if you're too busy playing…"

"We're done!" Parker said, jumping up from behind the fort. Chris nodded furiously beside him.

"Alright then." She said, leading them into the kitchen, She got them settled with their bowls of ice cream and then made her way back out to the living room, where Booth was stilly laying in the fort. He smiled at her as she lay down beside him.

"So where's the ten boxes you packed?" she inquired.

"Well…." He trailed off.

"Booth! We are moving in two weeks and half the apartment isn't packed yet! There's still some of my stuff to pack as well. Plus Angela's still working on the murals for the kids room and…"

She was promptly cut off by his lips on hers. She moaned into his mouth and he kissed her hard, making her feel as if all breath had left her body.

When they had pulled apart, he began placing kisses down the side of her neck.

"This is not the time nor the place." She said, pushing him away slightly.

He groaned and rolled on to his back. "Good point." He said. "We do have two little kids in the kitchen."

"There's probably ice cream everywhere by now." She said, curling up next to him.

"Mmm hmmm" he murmured.

A wrinkle creased her forehead as she frowned. "Booth?"

"Yes?" he said lazily.

"About the sex…"

He opened his eyes and turned on his side.

"I meant it when I said I would wait Temperance." He said earnestly. For however long it takes, I swear."

"I know, I just…"

"Don't feel guilty about this." He interrupted. "There's nothing to feel guilty for, okay?"

She nodded.

"Soon." She said softly, as she leaned up against him once more. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and pull her closer. She heard the giggles of the kids in the kitchen and she smiled.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Ahh! The last chap! I'm a little sad right now to be honest. Well actually there's going to be a short epilogue too, posted probably tommorrow or Monday. This story and the one before it, Four Years, has been a huge focal point for the last several months, so its weird to see it end. I hope you enjoy it though. And thank you so much for the reviews ! 192! It's incredible!**

I listened to a song for inspiration while writing this chap. It's called Beautiful by Mandalay and its a fantastic song. 

"No excuses." Angela said.

"I'm supposed to finish Parker's Halloween costume and Chris…"

"No." Angela replied. "You need to get dressed up and take that FBI boyfriend of yours out on a date."

"Ange…"

"You two haven't been out together since this whole thing began. You both deserve some alone time. I will help Parker with his costume if you want me to. I need to get used to this mom thing, right?"

"Angela, you will have a baby, not a hyperactive nine and four year old."

"Almost five." Angela noted.

"As if I could forget. Chris has begun a countdown to her birthday."

Angela chuckled. "I'm taking them tonight, no arguing. You are both stressed from packing and you need a break."

"Fine." She replied, knowing that Angela would never let it go. Besides, maybe it would help Angela. After talking to Jack, they decided to hope for the best and plunge ahead into impending parenthood.

"Perfect!" Angela said, clapping her hands together. "Now we have to plan your date an find the perfect outfit."

She rolled her eyes and let Angela drag her out of the office.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth walked into the Medico-Legal lab, only to find it empty. Even though it was early Friday night, the squints were still usually around. He headed into Temperance's office expecting to see her, however no one was there. He pulled out his cellphone and was about to dial when he noticed a garment bag sitting on the coffee table with a note on top.

Unfolding the note, he read; _'Booth. Get dressed and meet me in the gardens.'_

Putting the noted aside, he unzipped the garment bag and pulled out his best suit. He headed to the bathroom and quickly changed then proceeded to h head outside.

He wandered the gardens for a moment, not seeing her, until his eye caught a figure standing inside a gazebo in the near distance. As he moved closer, he knew it was her and his breath hitched at the sight of her.

She was wearing a strapless maroon dress that hugged her curves and flared out at the bottom. He hair was curled and hung loosely around her neck.

"Hey." He said, causing her to turn around.

"You got my note." She stated.

"Yeah, I did. What's this about? Where's Chris and Parker?"

"Angela and Jack took them for the night. I thought we could go on a date."

He grinned at how nervous she looked and took two strides, pulling her into his arms and kissing her fiercely.

"I'd love to." He said, once they parted.

She smiled and put her hand in his, pulling him around the corner of the Jeffersonian and down the street.

"Where are we going?"

"Not telling." She said resolutely.

They headed down a street, and then another until they arrived at a small Italian restaurant. He grinned, immediately knowing the significance.

They had only eaten here once, usually preferring Wong Foo's. But they had decided to take a chance on a new place. It turned out to be a great meal and a turning point in their personal relationship.

"Well?" she said, gesturing towards the door.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, he guided her into the restaurant.

After getting settled at a table and deciding what to order, they fell into easy chitchat.

"So Angela made you take me on a date?" he asked.

"That's not what happened." She protested. "Well it was but.."

"That's okay." He said, grabbing her hand. "It's a great idea. A nice break from all the stress."

She nodded. "Booth?" she started. "I just want to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For this. Letting me come back and having a family with me."

"I should be thanking you." He replied.

"Fine, let's thank each other."

They both broke out into smiles.

"This is nice." Booth commented. "Just the two of us. Not that I don't love the kids and all but…"

"Yeah." She replied. "I know what you mean."

"Besides, if I'm right, isn't this the place that you professing your undying love for me?" he teased.

"I did not." She said. "I didn't say it like that."

"I don't care how you say it." He said sincerely. "I just love when you do."

"Me too." She replied.

Their meals came and throughout the dinner, they talked about this and that and it seemed to Brennan that they were themselves again. Not parents or colleagues or people who went through this crazy situation, just them. Booth and Bones.

Soon they were done and were back out on the street, enjoying the night air.

"Let's go to the house." She said impulsively.

"The house?" he asked.

"I want to see it. Angela said she was finished the murals and most of our furniture's in there. It probably looks like a real house now."

He nodded and they made their way back to the Jeffersonian where his car was waiting.

The stars were beginning to come out as they drove along the streets of D.C. and Brennan rested her head against the window.

"Why so quiet?" Booth asked.

"Just thinking." She replied.

He pulled the car up in front of their house and turned off the engine.

"Ready?"

She nodded and got out of the car.

Looking up at the house in front of her, she felt a tremor of delight run through her body. This was her house. Hers and Booth's. To do what ever they wanted with and to create whatever memories they chose.

He came and stood beside her, silent, as if he knew the thoughts going through her head. He probably did; he was pretty perceptive when it came to her. She felt his hand in hers and smiled softly.

They made their way to the house and let themselves in and began exploring all of the rooms. Her 'writer's room' as Booth called it, was magnificent, with enough bookshelves to hold probably twice as many books as she owned. The living room and kitchen looked cosy and she couldn't wait to hang their pictures and display her artefacts. Then it would be really theirs.

They headed upstairs to check out the kids room and both gasped at the art that Angela had created. Parker's room was jungle themed, with gorgeous painted trees everywhere, and a numerous quantity of animals and bugs lurking about. Chris's princess room was exactly that. It was like being in a fairytale. There were clouds and beanstalk; a painted throne; it was incredible.

"Wow." Booth said, looking around. "They are both going to be excited!"

She nodded. "Let's go check out our room. Angela said she had painted it the colour we asked."

They opened the door to the master bedroom and both were in shock. Not only had Angela painted it a deep, rich red, but there was all new furniture as well.

"What the?" Booth said.

Brennan walked through the room, scarcely believing what she was seeing. The dresser and the table had photos of the kids and them as well as some of the squints and Max and Russ. Her favourite painting by Angela hung on one wall, and some of her artefacts hung on the other. Booth's army photos as well as his family photos were also up; it was a perfect mix of the two of them.

She wandered into the bathroom while Booth checked out the flat screen tv that hung on one of the walls.

"I can't believe Angela did this." She said, looking at the soft waves that were painted in the bathroom.

"Me either." He replied, circling his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him and smiled. It was a new start for both of them, a place that was neither his or hers, but theirs. Her first home in a long time.

He saw the tears in her eyes and turned her around. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She just shook her head and pulled him close, kissing him softly.

"I love you." She said earnestly, when they pulled apart.

"I love you too." He replied, kissing her again.

He began to pull away, but she wouldn't let him. She just kept kissing him again and again as her hands clutched at his suit.

"Temperance." He said quietly, as he began to kiss her neck. She angled her head for better access and began to push his jacket off his shoulders. He let it drop to the ground then rested his hands against her hips, propelling them both until her back hit a wall.

"Maybe we should.." he said, hesitating.

"Seeley." She replied, cupping his cheek and staring into his dark eyes. "Make love to me. Please."

He was moved by the honesty and pure love he saw within her and began to do as she asked. Slowly undressing her, as his lips marked a path down her body. Once her dress was off, he scooped her up and laid her gently on the bed.

"I love you. I will never stop." He murmured, as he kissed her cheek, her jaw and then made his way down further, his one hand unclasping her bra.

"God, I love you too." She cried out, as he took her breast in his mouth. She was so turned on already; he always could do that to her.

"You're mine. It's you and me forever." He whispered, as he switched to her other breast and then began to make his way down her body, his hand peeling off her panties.

She was wet hot with readiness, and when he slipped a finger in between her folds, she jerked her hips and cried out.

Pulling him up, she kissed him hard on the lips and began to help him remove the rest of his clothing.

He positioned himself over her and in one smooth stroke, entered her. His kissed her as he began to move, and it then it was just the two of them. There were no words, no thoughts, no other people in her mind except the two of them.

Every touch made her feel wanted, every kiss made her feel alive and when they came together, they looked in each others' eyes as the tears fell. Each declaring their love for each other. Each knowing that it would never stop.

It didn't matter what hardships came their way.

They would be fine. Because they were together.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: So I wrote this little epilogue for two reasons.**

**#1-I love fluff**

**#2-I hadn't quite wrapped up Angela's storyline. **

**Thank you so much to everyone for their reviews. It seems weird to be ending this story, I feel like I've been thinking and writing about it forever! I hope you enjoy!**

**Oh, I almost forgot! I've started a new story, A Charismatic Evil! I hope you will check it out!**

* * *

**Seven Months Later**

"I don't remember you being this fat. Were you this fat?" Angela asked, as she waddled into the house.

Brennan laughed. "I distinctly remember being quite large."

She held open the door as Angela and Jack came in.

"Booth and the kids are out back." They headed to the backyard, where Booth was firing up the barbeque and chatting with Zach and Sarah.

"Hey Guys!" Booth said.

"Hi Auntie Ange, Hi Dr. Jack!" Chris said, running up to them. "Mommy, can you help me put my water wings on? They are stuck."

"Sure." Brennan replied. "Let's go over to the pool, okay?"

Chris nodded and they made their way inside the gated pool where Parker was swimming. Brennan dipped the water wings in the water and then slide them easily on Chris's arm.

"Keep an eye out for her Parker, okay?"

Parker nodded and Chris jumped in the water, swimming happily.

Everyone else meanwhile, had gotten their drinks and were settled around the table. They chatted about work and other things as the food cooked, and when she headed upstairs to find suntan lotion for the kids, she was unaware of the person following her.

"Booth!" she shrieked, as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

"What?" he asked, flipping her around so she was facing him.

"We have guests." She protested, as he began to kiss along her jaw.

"Yes we do." He replied. "Guests who are looking after our children."

He pulled away and flashed a devilish grin.

"You're insatiable."

"You're hot." He said, kissing her again.

She melted into his embrace and kissed him back harder.

'_Focus, Brennan, focus.'_

Pulling away, she gave him a chastising look. "Go back and finish cooking the food."

"Stop wearing that sexy bathing suit." He retorted.

She laughed and turned back to rummaging in the cupboards, finally finding the suntan lotion. They headed downstairs, past the ever expanding picture wall and made it outside just in time to see Hodgins and Zach peering over the meat on the barbeque.

"Hey Squints! No experiments!" Booth shouted, heading over to them.

She smiled as she watched Booth try to take over the grill, saw Sarah and Angela chatting at the table; Angela's hand resting over her stomach, saw the kids splashing each other in the pool.

She was happy. It had taken her a long time to get to this point. She was still going to therapy, sometimes with Booth, and slowly but surely they were working their way through all of their problems. There were definite upsets, but they had managed to stick together throughout them all.

She caught his eye as he shooed Zach and Hodgins away from the grill and she smiled.

He flashed his charm smile back at her, the one reserved just for her, and she knew that everything they had been through, all the mistakes and regrets, was worth it. Because it brought them to this point and she knew without a doubt that she loved him.

And because of that, everything would be okay.


End file.
